Blood Exchange
by Dustfinger's cheering section
Summary: What if Vicki had a friend she went to, instead of going home to Matt? What would have happened? Would anything have changed? Alternate Universe. DAmon&OC. ON HOLD!
1. Chapter 1

**_This is for everyone who loves the book series and the TV show. I don't own The Vampires Diaries. Ally is my Original Character. "He" is Damon. Everyone probbaly seems a bit out of character. Right now it is a one shot, but I hope to make it a full story if at least one person likes it. Please review._**

I was sitting on the floor in the middle of my room when I heard it.

I had been trying to achieve inner peace all night. I had lit the red, yellow, orange, and gold candles properly, annoited them with the correct oils, and then opened both my windows despite the cold october night. By all rights, I should be meditating right now, off on some higher plain of understanding, just like the book said. But I couldn't calm down.

Vicki Donnavan, my best friend since forever, never came to se me last night.

You see, she was supposed to come over, spend the night, sleep off whatever it was they were doing last night without having face Matt. If she had to go home right after, she would've called. MAybe she was finally working things out with Jeremy? But no, she still would have called. I sincerely hope she's no where near Tyler, her ex. Tyler would take advantage of her, where Jeremy would take care of her.

There was a tree outside my window. It had been there since long before I was born. That tree was the only one in our yard that has yet to lose it's leaves.

My eyes are closed, and I am still trying to regulate my breathing, when I hear it again.

There it goes for a third time, Rustle, Rustle, leaves crackling and crushing. A pause.

And then a new noise, a tap on the window frame.

My back is to the window.

My eyes snap open and immediately flash toward the mirrored closet doors infront of me.

There she is.

Vicki is standing, half crouching really, framed by my window, candle light on her face, moon light giving her a glow from behind. Her hair is wild, tumbling around, twigs and bits of leaves tangled in it's mass. Her face is pale, unusually so. Her eyes are darting around the room, fearful.

I turn around to face her, and scramble up from place on the floor.

"Vicki" my voice is soft and slightly hoarse, "What happened to you?"

We are eye to eye now. I can see how scared she is. "Come in. Sit down, and explain", as I speak I walk toward her gently. I put my hand on her arm and help her through the window. Her skin is chilled, and I notice that her jacket is missing. Her shoes are gone too, but other than that, she looks the same as yesterday.

I hold like she's made of glass, and lower onto to the bed next to me, We sit facing each other. I repeat my earlier question, " What happened to you, Vicki?"

Her eyes fill with tears, and she starts to sob. She tries to speak through the tears, but I just shush her and hold her like she needs me too. We've always been like sisters, and the fact she came to me just proves it more.

After many minuted have passed, she starts to breathe evenly.

She starts to speak, " I'm a Vampire, Ally Cat", And then she fills me in, about Damon, and the woods, and how she's going to die soon if she doesn't get blood, how's she going to drink blood for the rest of eternity, how she wants to bite me and yet at the same time doesn't. How confused she is.

I listen, and think.

Her words die out, and we both just look at the other for a long moment, before I look toward the ceiling and start to think. I'm not scared of her, I'm scared for her.

Come on, brain! Think! Think! What does she need? Blood! Where do you get blood? A hospital. No, that won't work. A Blood Bank? No, we don't have the time.

My eyes drift down to my mirror, and my scared silver green eyes stare back at me. Then the answer stares me in the face, and I almost want to laugh. The vein in my neck, the jugular, is very prominent against my pale flesh. I examine the insides of my arms. The light blue trails are clear. And I don't hesitate any longer, I know what I have to do.

I get up and blow out all the candles. I flip a switch and light fills the room. I don't look at Vicki. I find my old, dirty, ripped up converse high tops, and grab Vicki's hand. She follows me without question, letting me lead. We walk down the stairs, out the door, and into my back yard, heading to the woods. The woods bear down on us, blocking out the moon light that had seemed plentiful in the yard.

Vicki breaks her silence, "Where are we going?" I don't stop a beat before answering "A clearing near here". We are both silent, and after about twenty steps we break into the clearing, the moonlight enveloping us.

"What are you planning, Ally?" Vicki questions, turning her head toward me. I take a deep breath. This was going to be hard to get out.

"You need blood. Neither of us know a place you can get it safely. I have blood. You are going to bite my arm and drink. I trust you. And no, I'm not changing my mind. I can't let you die, Vicki."

She just looked at me for a moment, and nodded saying "Okay".

I walked over to the nearest tree and broke off a small little branch, about six inches long, with smooth, even bark. I strode toward her again, my knees on the edge of shaking. I hold out my arm, say "Just do it", before biting down on the branch.

Her hands touch my wrist lightly, and angle it toward herself. I felt her breath on my wrist, and then she whispered, "I'm sorry". And then she bit down, hard.

The pain was immense, almost like a dog bite. I am sure I would have screamed if not for the branch.

And then something came out of the woods, toward us.

Somehow, through all the pain, I was still getting sensory input. It wasn't an animal, nor was it a man, though it walked like a man. He, something in me corrected. Yes, that was right, He felt like a he, not an it.

He kept walking toward us. My fear was blinding, the Pain was terrifying, a cycle, one feeding the other.

He wrapped us both into his arms, and I know I should be afraid, only I'm not.

He held me closer to his chest, somehow knowing the cold wasn't affecting Vicki. He covered me then, wrapping me up in a way no body or blanket could. The Pain receded, what was left was an itch like a bug bite, bearable after what had been, barely noticeable. I wasn't cold anymore, far from it. It felt as if I was on a warm beach, the sun beating down on me, cool fingers lifting hair off my face.

And then something happened that He could not protect me from. I was getting dizzy, growing weak, the me in the woods with Vicki, her knees were buckling, my knees were buckling. He was holding us both up. The Me on the beach, the Me in the woods.

I knew it was His mind enveloping us both, keeping the pain away from me. He could feel what was going on too. His mind seemed to rumble, thunder, storm. He was telling her to let go of me, and when she couldn't, He made her. I couldn't focus, I was laying on the forest floor, people speaking, Vicki and Him fighting, then silence.

My eyes had been closed since Vicki had bit me, and I couldn't find the energy to open them now.

He scooped me up into his arms, and ran through the forest. Everything felt blurred and hazy, I couldn't concentrate on anything.

He was talking to me, I could barely understand Him. But I did the one thing I knew he was asking me to do. I said, "Come in".

Things went hazy again. Too much motion, too many flashes.

I came back into focus a bit when He set me down onto my bed. I think it was the smells that brought me back.

There was a ripping sound, and then a grunt. He then spoke to me, "My name is Damon".

Damon leaned over me, and brought my head to base of his throat. His mind, his hands, and his words all telling me to drink, so I did.

It never felt like I was drinking something, it felt more like I was breathing his life into me. The term came to me, from his mind. Blood Exchange. Only, he hadn't taken my blood, Vicki had. He was replacing what I gave her.

After many long moments, DAmon pulled away. His eyes bores straight into my mine, dark, intense. He leaned back down to lightly kiss my lips. Then he spoke again "Good Night Young Ally. You'll live another day."

Damon flashed a grin my way before jumping out my open window.

My head fell back into the pillow, and I fell into a deep sleep.

**_Thank you for reading! _**

**_Please review!_**

**_Lot's of Love,_**

**_Tricia. _**

**_Tell me if you want it to be a full story!_**


	2. The Morning After

_**Welcome to Chapter Two of Blood Exchange. I know that this was a long time coming, but I was dealing with some issues, and now I am going to be a better updater. I know most of you probably think I left this little one-shot to rot, but here I am, attempting a story. As a reward for waiting calmly and not killing me, this chapter is over four thousand words. You heard that right, before authors not it is 4,101 words long. I hope you all love it, and give me pointers on how to be a better writer. Most of this chapter is build-up, but the real story has started. It goes pretty slow, but I didn't want to skip a thing. Hope you all love this version of Damon. I am sad to say there is no Vicki is this chapter, even though she is mentioned. If you would like for me to try and add chapters in alternate point of views, please say so. I am learning as I go here. Also, I borrowed a little from the books. In my mind, the vampire powers in the book are more kick-ass, so there is a little bit of cross over. Enjoy!**_

I woke up.

My head hurt. My eyes hurt. Everything hurt.

The light was too bright. The air was too thick. Stifled. Yes. I felt stifled.

The room I was in. Where was I?

Oh, yes. It's my bedroom, isn't it? I thought it was. I think it is.

Yes. Yes, I've decided. Whether this is my room or not, I'll say it is.

I turned over in my bed, flipping onto my stomach and burying my head under the pillow, trying to hide from the light. So bright. It hurts. So bad.

The sun was warm on my skin. Too warm. I scooted to the farthest edge of my bed, away from the window and the bright light.

Ah. Cool shadows.

I stretched, feeling the pull of muscles and skin. "Ow!", I murmured, shocked at the pain in my right wrist. Any kind of motion that tugged on the skin was too much. I could barely breathe for a moment, as I kept stretching, and seeing how much pain this was going to give me. Not too much. I would live.

What was wrong with my wrist? I realized I wasn't sure, and put all my focus into sitting up, pulling myself into an upright position, which was much harder than I was used too. As I finally got into a semi comfortable position, I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes with my left hand.

I examined my right wrist, taking in the crust of dried blood, over a semi circle of scab and raw looking skin. A bite mark.

I looked closer, noticing that though it could pass for a dog bite, it was nothing of the sort. The teeth marks were too even, and even so it was almost half healed. I wanted to call it a human bite, but that didn't sit right with me either.

And then the answer came, almost too quick. Images flashed in my mind. The events of last night which I had mistakenly assumed were a dream upon my waking. "Vicki", the name left my lips softly, almost a prayer. No, it was a prayer. I prayed that she was safe.

I remembered taking her into the woods, and biting down on the branch so I wouldn't scream. And then I remembered the man who not a man, nor an animal. something in between. Vampire, my subconscious bestowed the word that alluded me. What else? What else? He said his name was Damon. Oh, god. Damon. He changed Vicki, turned her, turned into a ... a Vampire. There was no way around it.

The same man who ended Vicki's human life, stopped her from killing me.

What made me any different? Vicki and I were both teenage girls, who lived in a small town. What made him save me, and condemn Vicki?

Oh.

And the truth sunk in, just like that. It hadn't been enough for my best friend, my sister in everything but blood, to come to me as a vampire. It wasn't enough for her to bite me, and drink my blood, nearly killing me (I understood now just how close I came to death last night). But sitting here in the daylight, examining my injury, sent the message home in a whole new way. Vicki was a vampire.

We would never sit in the sun together again. No more picnics in the summer. No more swimming at the lake at the crack of dawn. The life we had together was gone. It would never be the same. Not ever again. And Damon was to blame.

I got up, and walked into the bathroom. Brushing my feet, washing my face. Hopping in a shower that was far colder than usual. I scrubbed my scalp clean with my lavender scented shampoo. I picked up a bar of soap, and began cleaning away all the bits of dried blood and scab. I scrubbed till it was clean, and the wound reopened just in the slightest, only to close up again and smooth over with new skin before my eyes.

The sight shocked me. I was unprepared for that. The only reason I could think of for this odd occurrence , was that Damon had had me drink his blood.

The thought shook me as it settled in me. I drank a vampires blood. What would that do to me?

Okay. Time to calm down. What do I know?

One, Vicki almost drained me. Two, Damon stopped her and brought me back home (how he knew were I lived was a whole other can of worms I wasn't ready to open). Three, he held me to him, and told me to drink his blood. Four, he kissed me and left.

Okay. One and two I'm just going to have to live with, except it. Three. The only way I can explain three is to assume he wouldn't save me to have me die from blood loss. This seems life a thing the vampire himself will have to explain. I think, I'm not certain, but I think we shared a mind, somehow, while I was drinking. I could feel him in my mind, the most intimate way of touching. What was the word he used? Blood Exchange.

Well, according to him it wasn't a real one, because Vicki drank my blood, and not him. But I still had his blood (the rational part of was trying to hold back disgust at the idea of drinking someone's blood, though it hadn't bothered me at the time), that must be significant.

I can't help but wonder why he bothered. And I know I won't be at peace until I have my answers.

I got dressed quickly, not really paying attention to what I was wearing. A long sleeved black shirt with a v-neck. A pair of bleach spattered jeans. My favorite necklace, a crystal heart of a black cord, almost a choker. The worn high tops from last night. I grabbed my only purse, a small, durable number that had seen some use. It had my basics: wallet, phone, keys. I locked up and started my trek into town.

I live about a five minutes walk from town, with leafy green forest as thick as can be in be tween. I was used to the walk. I had made it many times.

As cars passed by I wished for my Ipod, so I had something to do as I walked.

I finally made it into the town square.

I walked across the wide grassy lawn of the park, toward an old white gazebo.

I had nothing to do, no thread to help me search for the answers I craved. So I sat in that gazebo all day. Crying for the life Vicki lost, morning the end of what we had. Because, I knew this was the end.

Not the end of our friendship. I would stick with Vicki till the day I died, and maybe then some. I had no doubt that we would make things work. But I did mourn the end of our days as we had known them. Sitting in the Mystic Grill, laughing and playing pool for hours on end. During school assemblies, making fun of cheerleaders and the people who got voted in as prom king and queen. Giggling as I listened to her talk about Jeremy, about how confused she was. We knew everything about each other.

I would miss the people we had been. But I know we have to be strong and evolve. I would be strong for Vicki. I would help her through this transition.

The day was getting late. Noon had come and passed. I had eaten a quick sandwich in the Mystic Grill before hurrying back to my post under the gazebo. Vicki knew me, and she knew I would probably sit here all night if I needed too. My only concern was if Damon would be with her. She seemed almost afraid of him, but not quite. I think most of Vicki was terrified of what he had done to her.

The sun was setting and people were going about their lives as if nothing had changed. It was like watching cars from an air plain. You would acknowledge their existence, but it was if they didn't really register any more. I couldn't sympathize, because I was different now. I could see, hear, know their lives, but it felt as If I no longer had any kind of stake in the world.

The sky was burning orange in it's last light of day, when I saw him walking towards me.

He was halfway across the grassy area before it really registered that he was approaching me. I watched him, glossy black hair, determined dark eyes, standing straight and proud as a king. I thought I knew who he was, but I wasn't really certain till he stood in front of me, hands in his pockets, looking at me, examining me.

"Hello, Damon", my words were soft, and had no emotion in them. I was neither hostile, nor welcoming. I think it threw him for about a tenth of a second. I realized then he had expected to take my lead in this conversation. He would answer my questions. His posture, and the patient way he watched me told me as much. He nodded in reply to my greetings.

"Is Vicki alright?", my words couldn't remain neutral, and I was very aware that my worry was painted all over my face.

"She took enough of your blood", here he paused, "I did have to take her to get another meal, just to be sure. You're fairly tiny, and she didn't quite drain you. But yes, she's fine. Resting right now, but in a few hours she'll be good as new".

I sighed my relief. All the worried tension which had been gathering in my shoulders, unbeknown to me, for hours. All the tension in my body vanished, and I was thankful to be sitting down, or for sure I would have fallen down. "Thank you", I wasn't really sure exactly what I was thanking him for, but it seemed to be a mix of everything. All my relief and piece of mind had been poured into that thank you.

I was leaning forward on my knees, hands on my head, just breathing. One more quick, deep, breath. And then I was on my feet, swaying for just a second, before regaining my balance. Damon was watching me curiously, examining every minute movement I made. He offered me his arm, and gestured forward with the other. It didn't occur to me to question where he was leading. We strolled around the park for what must have been only about fifteen minutes, but felt like an eternity in itself.

We walked, one foot in front of the other, in companionable silence. I knew, without knowing how I knew, that he was giving me time to really process everything. I also knew that there was more to come.

The chill of the air was doing me some real good, despite the fact that goosebumps were being raised on my arm underneath the thin shirt. I shivered once, a full out spasm along my spine, followed by a great deal of head shaking. Damon began removing his jacket, but I raised a hand to stop him, and assisted in sliding it back up his strong shoulder blades. He looked at me questioningly, cocking his head to the side in question. "I like the cold", I explained, "It reminds me that I'm really awake and here in this moment. Tonight, I need that reminder more than anything." I looked away, and he made no comment.

Dark had fallen by this point, the sky a mixture of light and dark blues. The park was still dark, just as I liked it.

In an abrupt movement, Damon pulled us in the opposite direction, walking toward the Mystic Grill. "I'm buying you a stiff drink", was all the explanation I got from my inquiring look. I didn't question it, because right about now, I _could _really use a drink.

Damon lead me through the crowded room, to a secluded corner, all the time a gentle hand on the small of my back. He pulled out my chair, lowered me into it, and then made a beeline for the bar. I examined the other patrons, seeing laughing crowds of students, couples leaning in for stolen kisses, families having dinner, the odd person or two having a drink at the bar.

I was lost in my examination of the room, when I felt a warm leather jacket being wrapped around me. I jumped. Then I looked up into Damon's oddly glittering dark eyes, which looked especially playful and kind now. His smile was crooked, one half of his mouth than the other. "You're cold", he stressed, "I don't really care if you enjoy it. Just wear the jacket."

He sat down across from me, and slid me a tall glass full of amber liquid. I smelled it experimentally, and decided I had no idea what the hell it was. I raised an eyebrow at Damon. He grinned, and took a large gulp out of his matching glass. "Do I even want to know what I'm drinking?" I asked. "Just drink. It's strong, so don't drink it too quickly. You look like a light weight" was the only answer he gave.

I took a sip, and it burned going down. I figured it must be some kind of scotch, or whiskey, I really had no idea. Vicki was always big on the alcohol and the drugs, but I just left well enough alone if I could.

A passing waitress set down a basket of chilly cheese fries down at our table. I was just about to tell her we didn't order anything, when Damon pushed it toward me, "Eat", he ordered. There was a side of ranch, which didn't normally come with the fries, though that was how I always ordered it. I ignored my own questions and ate a few fries.

We just sat and watched each other, both of us sipping, me munching on the fries.

"If I ask you something, will you tell me the honest truth?" my voice was hesitant, I didn't want to break this peace that was between us. He paused a moment before staring me straight in the eyes and leaning in slightly. When he did speak it was soft, "I won't lie to you. I might not answer your question, but I won't lie."

I nodded. That was enough for me.

He leaned back into his chair, seemingly at ease. "Shoot", he spoke flippantly, for all the world looking ready for anything, a picture of ease.

I took a moment to gather my thoughts. My mind immediately flashed back to last night, how he had stopped the pain. Before I spoke, I wondered for a moment if he would answer this question, but then I though, to hell with it, I still have to ask.

"Last night, after... You know. I was in a lot of pain, and you made it go away. And, I guess, I just want to know how you, ah, did, that?" I wasn't really sure how to explain the experience. He leaned forward again, though still looking unconcerned. "It's a vampire thing," he answered. I gave him a look that clearly said I had figured that much out. "I influenced your mind, a thing any vampire worth his salt can do. It was pretty much just distracting you, on a supernatural scale, to a drastic degree."

I took a moment to mull his words over in my head, before nodding in understanding. My next line of inquiry was not as clear, and my head was getting a little fuzzy from the unknown liquor. I thought back to the ripping sound, and his holding his wrist to my mouth. "You had me drink your blood", my voice was uncertain. He paused to see if I would say more.

"That's a statement; not a question", he voiced, but held up a hand as I began to protest, "I'll humor you and answer it any way to save you the breath", here he paused again to see if I would be patient and wait for his answer. "So, yes. I had you drink my blood. If I hadn't, you would be dead. Vampire blood has certain healing properties. No, before you ask, it won't turn you into a vampire. Not on it's own. If you had an accident, perhaps, in the next few days, and died, you would wake up as a vampire. On it's own, it should fade from your system gradually. In about a month or two, you should be fine."

His speech should have surprised me, but I had subconsciously known as much. Not the particulars, but that it was something like that. I picked up the mystery liquor again and downed the half glass that was left. I closed my eyes and let myself absorb all this. I just nodded again.

When I finally opened my eyes again, Damon was at the bar again. This time he came back with a shirley temple for me, and another mysterious amber drink for him. He set it in front of me, and sat back down again. "Though I would love to see you drunk, tonight is a bad time", he said simply. I looked at him coyly, a flirtatious smile on my face, and laughed just a little, before picking up his glass, taking a little sip, and setting it back in front of him. He raised his eyebrows at me slightly, but I just shook my head and said, "Now, I've had enough".

I was lifting my hair off the back of my neck when he grabbed my right wrist, which had the bite mark on it, flipping the damaged to face him. His face was closed for a moment, before he kissed the bite, and pulled a silver something out of his pocket and fastened it onto my wrist. He handed my hand back to me with another light kiss on the back of my hand.

I examined the odd bracelet he had put on my hand. It was silver, and almost resembled a charm bracelet, but not quite. It had five curved cylinder chambers, which had a pretty inlaid design of vines and flowers covering them, connected by silver links. I lifted the bracelet to my noise and inhaled. It carried a sweet, floral scent with it. Evidently, the chambers were hollow. It fit me well, and my inner girly girl loved it. I looked up to see Damon watching me, evaluating my reaction. I asked one question, "Why?"

"Just wear it. Try not to take it off," his response was almost short, more abrupt than anything. "Okay. Thank you. It's very pretty. I'm going to assume there is an ulterior motive some where here, but I'll let it be for now," my voice was full of questions, but he ignored them, and rose to leave. I stood up as well. His hand was once again on the small of my back, leading me out of the Mystic Grill, and out onto the street. His jacket was still wrapped around me. I un-wound it, and tried to hand it back to him. His only response was slide my arms into the sleeves and zip it all the way up. We were at a standstill, neither of us sure what next, or at least I wasn't sure. "I'll take you home", he said, and lead me to a sleek, fast looking black sports car.

Damon opened my door for me, and helped me in. I buckled my seat belt, though he didn't. I didn't ask how he knew the way, nor how he knew where I lived last night. I didn't ask about the car. I didn't ask about the kiss. I didn't ask about any of a hundred topics that swept through my mind on that car ride. All I did was watch his face, committing the curve of the nose and symmetry of his cheek bones to memory.

We finally pulled up in front of my house, just outside of Mystic Falls. A hop and a skip from civilization. The car stopped, and the engine cut off. It was barely a breath before he was at my side, helping me out of the car.

We walked up the stairs onto my dark porch. We stood for a moment, a long moment.

I lost my breath as Damon pushed me up against the side of the house, kissing me furiously. Passion, and heat, and wandering hands. I kissed him back with everything I could muster. Both of us were breathing hard, panting really. "Rescind my invitation!" Damon's voice pulled me slightly out this lust induced haze. "What?" I couldn't really understand what he was saying. "Rescind my invitation!" Damon's voice commanded once again. It was hard to think , because while this was going on, he was still kissing up and down my neck. I worked hard to focus, and did as he asked, "I rescind your invitation into my home", the words were weak and lack luster, I couldn't really process anything at the moment.

He pulled away, and started walking away from me.

"Damon!" I screamed, "Stop! You just can't kiss a girl and walk away!" at this point I realized he was ignoring me, so I ran after him.

As I skidded to a halt in front of him, he walked around me. "Damon!" I shrieked once again. He wasn't stopping, so I did the only thing I could think of to get him to stop.

I kissed him. Long and hard. The moments all flowed together, and it felt right. It slowed down after a few moments, and then he pulled away. "Go home, Ally", he whispered, holding my face in his hands, looking at me as if I was the precious thing in the world. "Get inside. Don't invite anyone in. Not even me. Not if I beg, or scream, or try to seduce you. Be safe," He kissed my face again after he spoke those words slowly, burning them into me.

We broke apart, and I walked up to the house, while Damon just walked to his car and drove away.

I got into the shower, and I scrubbed my hair for all it was worth. Then I sank into a heap on the floor and just cried. I was confused, and upset, and felt rejected. I wasn't in love with Damon, not by a long shot, but I could picture myself truly falling for him, which made the sting and pain all that much worse.

Later that night, after I had done my homework, and run out of things to do to keep myself busy, I really sat down and thought things through. I thought about Vicki, I thought about Damon, I thought about all the craziness that last twenty four hours held.

First my best friend is missing, then it turns out she's dead. Only not, a vampire against her will. Damon is the bad guy, Damon is the good guy, Damon is the right guy, Damon is the wrong guy. It's like the world can't make up their minds. I really don't understand much of what has happened.

I painted my nails gold, just for something to do, to distract me.

I looked in the mirror. I mean really looked. My hair is a deep, deep golden color, almost brown, except in the sunlight, and then it's like it's on fire. I'm tall, five nine I think. I'm slim, fairly. As I really evaluated myself, I realized that I still look like a child, despite being seventeen. It was the hair, I decided, hanging almost to my knees.

The scissors were in my hands before I thought things through. I just started cutting off inch after inch. Thick golden hair lying at my feet. I was almost numb. I stopped cutting when it reached my elbows.

As I was lying in bed, trying to sleep, I brought the bracelet I was still wearing to my face and breathed in. The last thing I saw before my eyes closed was the bracelet draped on my wrist, glinting sofly in the moonlight.

I slept soundly all night.

_**I hope this is worth the wait! **_

_**Leave me a line on how to improve my writing, no hard feelings.**_

_**Or, hey, yell at me for not updating sooner. That would be great encouragement.**_

_**Lot's of Love,**_

_**Tricia**_

_**Dustfinger's Cheering Section**_

_**P.s. Did some editing and fixed the spelling mistakes. Tell me if you find any I didn't catch.**_


	3. The Morning After the Morning After

_**Welcome to Chapter Three of Blood Exchange. Hope you enjoyed the first two. I own nothing, it all belongs to the lovely LJ Smith. I think. Well, I really have no idea who owns the TV Show. This Chapter is 3,484 words long. Hope you like it!**_

I woke up.

And for some reason, sad to wake up alone.

I had dreamed of Damon, and it had felt so real.

And then I berated myself. Here I was, thinking of Damon, when I hadn't seen Vicki last night. I was a horrible friend.

I attended to my human needs in the bathroom, then started the shower. I didn't want to take off the bracelet, but I knew I had to. So it was with reluctant fingers that I undid the clasp and set it on the bathroom counter.

The water was still too cold when I jumped in, but I welcomed the chill, which did the rest of the job of waking me up for school. I scrubbed my hair with lavender scented shampoo. Then I proceeded to my grape fruit body wash. I took a moment and examined my right wrist. The bite mark was still clear as day. It wasn't red anymore and scabby anymore. Now it was a pale white scar, almost half the circumference of my wrist. I accepted then that I would probably have that scar for years to come. I didn't mind. It was just proof that I would do anything for someone I loved.

I dried off, then slipped the bracelet back on, bringing it up to my nose to breathe in again. I sighed. It was a nice smell, not too strong. I would love to know what it was, but it seemed to be one of those questions Damon wouldn't answer. That is, if he ever talks to me again.

I pulled my almost never used hair dryer out from under the sink, and dried my hair as best as I could. Then I ran a brush through it, quickly, probably ripping out a lot of un needed hair in the process.

As I crossed the hall to my room, I wondered for a moment if I would ever talk to Damon ever again. Maybe, I decided.

I threw open my closet and found an old pair of dark wash jeans with little white stars embroidered on the cuff. I paired that with a Digital Summer band shirt. I pulled on my socks and old converse, I grabbed my back pack and headed down the stairs to the kitchen.

I chugged a tall glass of Orange Juice, and scarfed down a blueberry muffin. On my way out I grabbed a bottle of Coke from the fridge. Then I locked the front door behind me and started the fifteen minute walk to school.

Nothing was special or different about my walk today. Lot's of kids headed in the same direction passed me by without so much as a glance in their shiny cars. The people I knew who walked their dogs this way (generally people middle aged and above) said good morning and waved. The walk passed fairly quickly, because this time I had remembered to bring my Ipod. I was listening to "Love Drunk", by Boys Like Girls on repeat the whole way.

I was there about half an hour early, like I am every day. I picked a good tree, and then sat down beneath it and pulled out my worn copy of Alice in Wonderland out of my bag. I read until ten minuted before the bell, then made my way to my locker.

As I was spinning my combination and opening the door, some one came to stand just to the side of me. I ignored him, switching out my text books and binders. I closed the door and turned to leave when he spoke.

"Are you Ally Town?" his voice was deep and soft, and something made me pause, and actually answer his question instead of walking away.

"Yes", my reply was soft and hesitant. I didn't know him.

"My name is Stefan Salvatore. I have a message for you, from Vicki", here I turned to look him over. He was taller than me, probably six one. He had deep brown eyes, and dark brown hair. He was looking at me expectantly, making sure I understood, and was listening again. I nodded.

"She wants you to know that she is safe, and not to worry about her. She says you'll hear from her soon, and not to panic", his voice was slightly comforting, and sounded trustworthy. I nodded, and hugged him, catching him by surprise. "Thank you", I sounded like I was about to cry. I let him go.

After he left me, I saw him walk down the hall to a girl I knew more by sight than anything else. Elena Gilbert. Cheerleader. Matt's girlfriend.

Not anymore, I thought as I saw them kiss as a greeting. I knew her parents had died last spring. And, not to sound mean or anything, but she was a much easier person to be around because of it. Hopefully, her character improvement would be permanent.

There was something familiar about Stefan. Something I couldn't place. He reminded me of someone, I just couldn't place who. Not Zach, because even though they were related, the resemblance was not in abundance. I just tried to shake it off and go through my day as normal.

My classes weren't hard, but they weren't as easy as usual, probably because I was so distracted by all that had happened in the last two days. Lunch was boring. It really sunk in that Vicki was the only person I talked too. High School was lonely with out her. Near the end of the day I saw Matt, and went up to him and gave him a big hug, which I was sure he could use. He was surprised, and hugged me back firmly, holding on a few seconds too long. I didn't mind.

If Damon was a sweet day dream, then Matt was firm and strong and reliable.

But, the chances of either of them in a relationship with me was next to none.

After school was over I walked back to the Gazebo in the park in the center of town. I sat and did my homework until sunset. I didn't like being alone in the house, so I tried to stay away for as long as I could while my mom was out of town. Which was more often than any sane person could justify. Especially after I turned thirteen and was deemed able to be left alone for days on end. Either way, she was due home in roughly two weeks, but was more likely going to stretch into four or five more. I was used to it. The bills were paid by bank account, and I had food money and such available. I was better off in that situation than Vicki and Matt, but that didn't mean I liked it any better.

As I was packing up, I saw the same black sports car from last night pull around the block. Damon's car. There couldn't be two in Mystic Falls. I ran, well, more speed walk, over to the curb it was parked at.

Half way there I changed my mind, and did an one-eighty turn in the opposite direction and started on my way home. o my surprise, after about two minutes, the car pulled up beside me. The window rolled down, revealing Damon. He was smirking slightly.

"Get in", he said simply. I thought about it, for half a second. Then I replied, "No thanks. I happen to like walking every where." My comment was laced with just the right amount of bitterness and sarcasm. He rolled his eyes at me, and said once again, "Get in".

I considered arguing the point, but didn't really have the energy. To my puzzlement, after he had me in the car, he turned around and started driving in another direction. After he passed the turnoff, I mentioned conversationally, "That was the turn off for town."

He just looked at me for a moment, before explaining "We're not headed to town."

I chewed on that for a minute, before I said, "You see? That, right there, is why I don't go riding in cars with boys." He replied promptly, "You're not riding in cars with boys. You are riding in one car, with a man." I laughed at that, before rolling my eyes at him, "Like that makes it any better! In fact, it's probably worse! You're more dangerous than the average adolescent male, and you have a lot less to lose."

"How on earth do I have less to lose? I would say I have more." Damon's answer was just as cocky as I imagined it would be, and the smirk was doing little to help the situation. I was on the edge of laughter. Then I took pity and explained my reasoning, "No, see, you have less to lose, because you can erase your mistakes with a smile and tilt of the gaze".

"Not if you're wearing your bracelet", he answered.

I was thrown for a loop, trying to make the connection between what I had said, and what he had said. Then it was like a light bulb going off above my head. I help up my wrist for confirmation. "You mean this little thing can stop a big, bad vampire like you from controlling my pretty little head?" at the end of this statement I jingled the bracelet to be sure this was the one he was referencing.

And that got me a chuckle that made me feel warm, and a smirk that made me feel just a tad too warm. I was waiting for his answer, and gave him a look to remind him of that.

He just nodded and chuckled again. "Vampires don't have a lot of weaknesses, but that is one of them", he inclined his head toward my still raised wrist.

I raise an eyebrow at that. "You mean silver?" I asked.

At that he literally roared with laughter. He hit the steering wheel lightly once or twice. As he controlled himself, he met my questioning and slightly annoyed gaze straight forward.

He explained presently, "Not silver. Silver doesn't do a damn thing where vampires are concerned. You've noticed it's hollow?" I nodded that I had, he continued "What's inside that bracelet stops me from controlling your mind."

I sat back and drank that in.

"Why bother?" I questioned softly. "We both know it would be easier if you could just erase my mind at any time, and get on with you undead life." My voice was so soft, I barely heard it. Damon didn't answer me, though some how I knew he heard the question. The tension sat between us like a coiled snake. That was one question he wouldn't answer.

We pulled up to the Salvatore boarding house about ten minutes later. My gaze was questioning, asking without words what I was doing here. He didn't answer, just got out of the car. He didn't open my door this time, though I paused a second to see if he would. I tripped over a rock on my way to the front of the car. He didn't look at me, just started walking to the front door, through the front door. He didn't wait for me, though he did walk at human speed so I could follow easily. I was so busy focusing on his moving back, that I didn't notice much of my surroundings. Down a hall way, turn left, down another hall, turn left, up a small side stair case, almost invisible if you didn't know it was there.

Down another hall, and up another staircase. He threw open the door and gestured me through it. Inside was a windowless room, with a dresser and a comfy looking bed. I didn't get to take in any more, because I saw Vicki lying on the bed. "Vicki", I said, too soft for human ears.

We ran toward each other, embracing and crying. Exchanging promises on how we would never do that ever again. At some point, Damon walked in and sat down in an easy chair in the corner, watching us closely. I furrowed my brow at that, but wasn't going to ask. I figured I had asked enough for one day.

Vicki oohed and awed over the rough foot and a half of hair chopped off over night. She was in awe at the idea that I just spontaniously took a pair of scissors to it. Vicki had always loved my hair. But she firmly announced that it was a new me, and she was only too happy for me. We joked about how she barely recognized me. There was more laughing, and crying, and remembering. All the while Damon watched without a word of comment on the situation.

Vicki wanted to know what had happened after she had left, to come back here I now understood. I paused, because I had thought for sure she would know. I just shook my head in response. At her insistence I just said, "I was too out of it. It's all kinds of blurry in my head. I wasn't even really sure it had happened until I spoke to Damon." There. I didn't lie. Though I don't know why I didn't want to tell her. I guess because it just seems so god damned private. Drinking Damon's blood, just wasn't something I wanted to discuss with Vicki. We talked for maybe two hours more about all the little things. The things we missed, the people we were. And Damon listened without a word to all of it.

Vicki didn't even really acknowledge him, except from time to time. Eventually, it came up. She told me, in slightly ashamed terms, that she wasn't ready to be alone with humans. She would be, in a little while. Once she was used to the blood lust and everything that came with it. Some of the things she told me were scary, and others I could have guessed. But, point blank, we wouldn't be able to be alone until she was at least six months old. I excepted that with nary an emotion on my face.

Eventually, we parted ways.

Damon was the one to drive me home, It was a twenty minute drive from the boarding house to my house. I wanted to make conversation, but I didn't know how it would go down, after the way the ride here went.

Finally, I just couldn't take the silence anymore.

"You have a brother", it wasn't a question, more a statement. He nodded. And that was all I got out of him. When we came to the turn off, for into to town, to my surprise, he took it. I tried to not let any emotions show.

I couldn't take it any more, "You know I live in the other direction," again it was a statement. This time, he smiled, well, more smirked. "I need a drink, and here's a pretty girl with no better way to spend her time. Why not?" His tone was patronizing, and slightly unkind, but nothing I couldn't take. I considered for a moment whether or not I would kick up a fuss. Finally I decided not, but I had to make something clear, "I have school in the morning. Don't get me drunk." He nodded to that and pulled into a parking spot right outside the Mystic Grill.

I tried to open my own door this time, but he took my hand off the handle, and said "Wait". I didn't say anything to that, just let it go. He was at my side of the car in seconds, opening my door, and lending me a hand as I got out.

Damon kept a hand on the small of my back, leading me through the half empty bar, to the same secluded table from last time. He sat me down, slid his leather jacket off, and onto the back of my chair. He ignored the raise of my eyebrows I gave him for that. He cam back with two clear beer steins absolutely full to the brim of the mysterious amber liquid. He slid one across to me, and sat down across from me.

We looked at each other for a few long moments.

The chilly cheese fries were set down by a different waitress this time, but they were just as good as last time. He didn't touch them, just slid the basket to me with a pointed look. He also gave a long look to the jacket, but that was going too far. I just shrugged at him on that count. He sighed and nodded.

We just sat like that and drank.

For every MAL (mysterious amber liquor) I drank, I had two glasses of shirley temple. It wasn't my rule, it was Damon's. I didn't ask about it, and he didn't offer to tell. All I could tell was that he didn't want me drunk as much as I didn't want to be drunk. All in all, through the whole night, I managed two MALs' with his odd shirley temple rule.

I was a little buzzed at this point, and probably a little tipsy, which is the only explanation for what I did next.

I leaned across the table and kissed Damon full on the mouth. He took it in stride, kissing me back equally, letting me take it as far as I wanted. I brought a hand up touch his cheek, sliding it down to his neck, pulling him closer to me.

He broke away, pausing to press a light closed mouth kiss on my lips, before pulling back definitely. We looked at each other, both taking in the slightly heavy breathing and lust glazed eyes. We didn't talk about it. We just kept drinking, and talking, and drinking some more.

What did we talk about that night? For the life of me I can't remember. It was little things, my favorite flowers, his taking riding lessons as a child. Nothing complicated. How he took his coffee, how I hated coffee. Little things.

And we learned about each other. We really did. He listened to me, and I listened to him.

It was about eleven when he decided it was time to take me home.

By that point, somehow or another, I had ended up in his jacket again. I wasn't too put out about this, but that was most likely because I was tipsy.

He lead me out to the car carefully, mindful of every step, and how my perception of reality had changed. His arm was over my shoulder, holding me to him, and he was also holding my hand.

We made our way out of the Mystic Grill, to the shiny black sports car I was now almost certain he had stolen. But I couldn't find it in myself to care.

Things were like that pretty often with Damon. Things that would, or should, have normally bothered me, didn't seem to matter. It just seemed like the rules changed when we were together, and I wasn't too sure that was a bad thing.

We drove holding hands, both of laughing every now and then. More sweet, simple things being discussed.

It wasn't a date. I knew that. I didn't even entertain the thought that it was. But that didn't mean I didn't hope he would kiss me before he drove away.

Call me smitten with Damon, and I wouldn't be able to truthfully correct you. Say I was in love with Damon, and I would tell you I wasn't sure yet, but I probably wasn't. Yet.

When we pulled up in front of my house, we both just sat a moment as Damon killed the engine. I wasn't going to ask him in. It wasn't that I didn't want to, but he had been almost scary when he told me not too, and I wasn't too keen on seeing that side again.

He got out and opened my door.

We went around to the trunk and got my back pack out . We walked to my door. Damon gave me a light kiss on the cheek before whispering good night and walking back to his car. He waited until I was inside before driving away.

That night I got ready for bed in a light hearted state.

I only took off my bracelet to shower, and then I put it right back on. Not because it was protection, but because it was from Damon.

I fell asleep smiling once again.

I woke up thirty minutes later to a text from an unknown number.

_Good night_, it said. And then I fell back asleep just as suddenly.

_**Review and tell me all of my mistakes. I'll try to fix them as soon as possible.**_

_**Thank you to Dawnie-7 for reviewing both of the previous chapters. I'm really glad you like it. Also thank you for pointing out some spelling mistakes, which I went back to and tried to fix. I'm going to check again to make sure I didn't miss any. Thank you for the support.**_

_**Good Luck and Infinite Good Karma,**_

_**Lot's of Love,**_

_**Dustfinger's Cheering Section**_

_**Tricia.**_

_**P.S. Reviews are like moments spent with sweet and caring Damon, they make me smile.**_


	4. A week and a half after TheMorningAfter

_**This chapter is four thousand and one (4,001) words long. Exactly. Scary. I've given writing Damon's Point of View a shot, and if it sucks you have to tell me, so I won't do it again. If you don't tell me I can't do Damon justice, then I'll probably keep writing him the same way, which would be a substandard product. This chapter isn't exactly pleasant, and truly warrants the "T" rating given the whole story. Despite kissing, there hasn't been anything really major. THis is a warning. If you don't want to see Stefan in a bad light, don't go any farther! I want to know what you all think.**_

**Ally Town Point of View:**

I was sitting in the back of the room, in my advanced history class.

Not 'advanced' , because it was challenging, but because I took it with the seniors and I was a junior. Our school's idea of supplementing my coarse load, so I wouldn't get bored and nearly flunk out again (freshman year. Don't ask). If I get bored, I don't pay attention, and then I drift away into la la land. But, I already knew all this. So, 'advanced' class, not helping.

I missed Mr. Tanner. Not because I liked him, don't get me wrong, the guy was universally hated, but he just gave a binder full of the work for the quarter, and then sent me to the library so I wouldn't "disrupt" his class with my "out of context" comments. Just because I understood things a bit faster, I was pushed to the side. This didn't bother me one bit. I preferred the library.

But that was before everything got so messed up. Before I hadn't seen Damon for a week, and my only connection to Vicki, or Damon, was, you guessed it, Stefan Freaking Salvatore. I had to sit and watch him eyes at Elena Gilbert all period. And the worse part? He wouldn't answer any of my questions. Not even about Vicki. His only response, every god damned day, was "She's having a hard week. You can't come visit."

I was frustrated enough to pull out my hair. And what's even worse? He never even met my eyes when he talked to me. He was always staring at Elena over my shoulder. I wanted to punch him. I knew I could. But, it seemed a bad idea to attack a hungry vampire. And how did I know he was hungry? I have no clue. And even more annoying? He was forever staring at my wrist, the one with the bracelet on it. I knew, instinctively, that if he ever caught me without it, that he would influence me within an inch of my life, and either make me forget everything, or pump me for information. I got the feeling the brothers sucked at communication. I asked him once where Damon was, and he just took another long look at my wrist, before shaking his head and turning away. If I didn't get answers soon, I was going to get desperate, and even give questioning Elena a try, or showing up at the boarding house unannounced . I knew both ideas would be bad. I had this strange idea that if I walked in on the wrong thing, Stefan would kill me. I wasn't afraid of him, I just didn't trust him half the the distance I could throw him.

Something about him just screamed repressed and moody. He seemed like the kind of nice guy, who one day snapped and brought a gun to school. Funny, that I should scared of the brother who didn't kill my best friend.

I tuned in to hear Mr. Saltzman talking to me. "Miss Town? Are you awake this morning?" I sunk into my seat and gave a half hearted nod to the man in front of the chalk board. This was why I missed Mr. Tanner, I remembered acutely, as the class giggled and turned to stair, my face an intense shade of red. "Stay after class, please, Miss Town." It was an order, not a request.

I looked down at my blank page of note book paper. I needed them to stop staring at me. Abruptly, every head, every human head, snapped forward. I tried to breather. Coincidence, I reasoned, pure coincidence.

I had Stefan's full attention now. He was staring at me, evaluating me. I realized with a low gasp that he thought I had made it happen. I knew that wasn't true. There was something in his eyes that I didn't trust, and looked down at the table top and started fiddling with my bracelet. I brought it to my nose, and breathed in the now familiar slightly spicy floral scent. Whatever it was, I liked it immensely.

I mentally ran through the light of myths and legends I kept in my head. I didn't think I could control people, but Stefan did. I needed to know what he thought I was, and fast. I thought about running to the boarding house after school, and trying to talk to Damon. If I was truthful, I was slightly freaked out. Okay, more than slightly. Extremely freaked out. But, Damon would make it better. He would make Stefan back off.

I packed all my stuff away, and prepared for a quick get away. Mr. Saltzman saw this, and gave me a raise of the eyebrows, noticing my panicked expression. He saw Stefan staring me down, and nodded. My eyes were saying, 'help me', and I think he understood. He called Stefan to task, asking Stefan some minuscule trivia question regarding the material being discussed. I realized with a jolt that I had no idea where we were. Mr. Saltzman announced a test, just as the bell rang. I hurried from my seat to the front, getting to Mr. Saltzman's desk before Stefan could start the inquiry. I was, to put it bluntly, scared shitless.

We waited for the room to clear, Mr. Saltzman telling Stefan to leave now, point blank. After a breath or two, he opened the top door of his desk, and pulled out a thick, smooth, sharp looking stake. He watched how my eyes took in the weapon. "I know you wear vervain. I can smell it. Keep this on you at all times," and here he paused before taking a deep breath, "And you dare be afraid to use it."

I took the stake he offered with shaky hands, before sliding it into my shoulder sling back pack. He nodded with approval, "Good girl," he stated with praise, as if I was dog who had learned to roll over. "Now, onto your grades," he noticed my look if distress, "You're not failing," he assured me. "In fact, you have the highest GPA in the school right now, and near perfect attendance. I know you're not learning anything in this class, but if you could pretend and pay attention, for my benefit, I'd be happy." I laughed at this, and nodded my acquiescence. "Good," he stated, "It's no fun at all when the brightest in the room doesn't give a damn what you're saying." We both shared another chuckle, before going our separate ways.

School was over for the day, so I stopped at my locker, changing out my text books, and grabbing my bright yellow rain coat. The walk home would be no fun soaking wet. Just as I finished transferring everything over, a hand reached out and slammed my locker shut. I looked up, annoyed. My eyes met the furious gaze of Stefan Salvatore in all his glory.

My back pack hit the ground in the same instant that he slammed me up against the lockers. My back screamed out in protest. I knew, without a doubt, that I would have bruises all over the back of my body by the time I went to sleep. My head didn't crack against the lockers, but the avoidance was a very near thing. I was very near to tears, and extremely confused. His eyes were searching mine, looking for answers I didn't have.

His hands were on my shoulders, holding me level with him, my feet dangling inches off the ground. I repressed the urge to scream. I suspected that it would do no good, and only make him angry. But, then again, he was already angry. Screaming would make things worse.

"What does Damon want with you?" His voice was rough, gruff really. His eyes were darkening, and teeth sharpening. He was pissed beyond all belief, and yet I had no clue what I had done. His question finally made it's way through my brain, and I almost answered with an inarticulate, "What?" But thankfully, I withheld the urge. I thought about his question, and shook my head, answering, "The hell if I know!"

Stefan didn't like that, and shook my shoulders, and this time my head did connect with the lockers behind me. Tears filled my eyes, and I was trying to force myself not to cry in front of him. The tears seemed to remind him that I was human, and not a vampire, and that he was seriously hurting me. I watched as this hit him, his face filling with shock at his own actions. He stepped back and let me drop to ground, retreating to the other side of the hall.

I curled into a ball, arms wrapped over my head, and let the tears take me. I was sobbing. I was in so much pain. My back and shoulders, my head. And on top of that, I was terrified. I understood that Stefan could, and probably would have, killed me, maybe purely on accident, in pursuit of his answers. My body screamed for Damon. I wanted him to come find me. To make Stefan stop. God, I was so scared.

I felt cool hands touch me, and began screaming, fighting the hold with all my might. He clapped a hand over my mouth, muffling my screams. Stefan kicked my pack back into the dark class room before closing and locking the door behind us. He also flicked off the lights, and opened a window just enough for the room to not be in total darkness.

Stefan seemed ill at ease as he tried to comfort me. Apologizing again and again. Doing anything to get me to stop crying. I was too far gone in pain and fear, cringing every time he took a step towards me. I think part of the reason I was so freaked out was because of how stressed out I already was. I couldn't take this. At some point, Stefan made a phone call. After that, he resignedly walked as far away from me as he could get in the small class room, after unlocking the door.

It could have been two minutes, or it could have been an hour. Either way, I just stopped crying and lay on the ground starring into space. I knew, consciously, that my hair had come undone. I also knew that there was probably dirt on my face. But I couldn't follow any of these thoughts to completion, and just sat there with a blank look, trying everything I had left in me to just clear my mind and forget.

I wouldn't say my life flashed before my eyes as I sat there, but the some of it, the good and the bad, seemed to be on a real in my head. Vicki and I, mostly. Though there was some footage of the last two weeks thrown in for good measure.

I had curled back into a ball on my side at this point, though the crying had stopped.

I heard loud, quick foot steps coming down the hall. It was clear that whomever they belonged to was pissed off. They got closer, and closer. It was most likely only a few seconds, but my grasp of time was all messed up by now. Seconds and hours interchangeable.

I heard the door burst open, smacking the wall with the force it was opened with.

Damon was kneeling in front of me before a second had passed. I grasped that Stefan had called him, after my freak out. I didn't really think much. My first thought was too pull away from his light hands on my face, but then I recalled it was Damon, and that wouldn't hurt me this way. "Ally?" his voice was as soft and searching as his eyes and his hands had been. He pulled me up into a sitting position, resting against his chest as he stroked my hair, pulling it out of my face, and detangling it with his hands as he went. It was the first soothing thing all afternoon. His voice was so soft, crooning in my ear, "Shh. Shh. Let me handle everything. Shh. Shh." Such soft sweet things of the like were being whispered in my ear, his lips brushing my skin. His hands went to my back, and I squeaked, the first noise I had made. He paused in all his movements.

Damon delicately turned me around, so my back was too him. He pushed my over my shoulder towards the front, and pulled up the back of my shirt. I wasn't sure what he was seeing, but I knew it hurt like hell, and probably looked like it, too. Damon started growling, and I looked up to see Stefan still in the room, watching us cautiously.

Damon was up from the ground behind me like a bullet out of a gun. slamming Stefan up against the wall faster that my eyes could follow. I was so out of it at that point, that the loud accompanying noise didn't even make me cringe. I watched with disinterested eyes as Damon growled out threat, after threat at Stefan, most of them relating to how creatively he would end him if he so much glanced in my direction ever again.

Stefan didn't even fight back, just watched as Damon rained punches on him, and furiously tried to cause as much pain as possible. I opened my mouth, and tried to speak. A croak came out. I tried again. "Damon?" I asked, mouth dry, and throat scratchy.

I saw Damon's back as he stiffened, and paused in his assault.I had his attention.

"Please, Damon," I croaked out in my rough voice, "I just want to go home."

Damon slammed Stefan up against the wall one more time. For good measure, I reasoned. I couldn't find it in me to care at the moment. Damon turned towards me, and picked me up carefully, delicately. I almost wanted to laugh, and the contrast between his blows on Stefan, and the gentle way he was handling me.

Damon grabbed my back pack, and wrapped me in his leather jacket. He carried to a new, shiny black sports car. Yep, I thought, definitely stolen. All of his movements were gentle, and he forewent the seat belt.

I was so close to passing out. Nothing felt very real. Except Damon's hand, pulling my hair off my face, tracing my lips gently. My eyes were open, but I think he knew I wasn't really all there yet.

We drove. I'm not sure how long or how far. I knew, in the back of my, head that the trip was taking too long, but I didn't really dwell on it. At some point, we made our way back to the boarding house.

I didn't even try to get out of the car on my own. I wasn't sure if my legs would support me.

Damon cam to my side of the car, and carried me in his arms though the house. We weren't headed towards Vicki. I knew that with a certainty. We made our way to a room I had never seen, which wasn't saying too much, as I hadn't seen a majority of the house.

We were in a bedroom. How did I know this? Damon set me down on the bed, on my stomach. I started to roll over, when he reach over and lightly stopped me. "Don't just, yet," Damon murmured softly, "I'll be right back. Don't freak out till I'm here to help you through it."

His words might not have been the most comforting, but the way he said them was. I nodded my understanding. He lent down to kiss my head, and I felt the smile pressing into me. "Good" he affirmed.

I listened for his foot steps, and didn't hear any. I tried reaching out for him with my mind, not wanting him away from me. I could feel him walking towards a bathroom, and back much quicker than any human could.

I felt the bed move, and felt Damon lean down to my ear, "Stop that," I could hear the fond smile in his voice, "it tickles." My smile in response was automatic. "I have no idea what you're talking about. You know that, right?" My voice was playful. I had an idea of what it could be about, but I wasn't too sure. "You know exactly what you're doing, little minx" and Damon's voice matched mine for playful, and yet his had a serious case of desire underneath it. "When your mind follows me like that, "he explained, "It's like you're undressing me with your eyes. Not a bad thing normally," here he paused, took a deep breath, "But in your current condition I have to restrain myself", his voice had turned bitter and strained by the end. I knew it wasn't about restraining himself, more about how his own brother had hurt me.

"I'm going to need to remove your shirt if I'm going to heal you up", his voice was serious, but I couldn't help giggling softly in response. He lifted me up carefully, having me continue to lay on my stomach on his lap. I had to bit my lip to keep from screaming as he removed my shirt, my shoulder muscles straining painfully. Damon kept it quick, and as painless as he could. He could probably tell more about the damage done to me than I could. I barely noticed as he removed my bra as well. I knew this wasn't about seducing me, it was about helping me, so I let it go without a words.

I expected Damon to lower me back to the bed, but I stayed on his lap. I heard the unscrewing of an lid on a jar, and then a moment later felt Damon's hands rubbing some kind of cool paste or cream over my back and shoulders. He spread it thickly and generously, getting ever aching place. He had to stop for a moment, and pull my jeans down my hips and inch or too, but I was too far gone into the cooling sensation to really care. Every bit of me that had been burning was now soothed, and I was so relieved.

I had the sensation of Damon moving underneath me. There was the soft clank of the glass jar being placed on his bedside table. He left me alone for a moment, and I cried out at the loss of him. It wasn't a sound of pain, and Damon knew it, hence his delicious chuckle moments later filling the space like sunshine on a winter's day. I felt my shoes being removed, the movements of covers being pulled up over me. It was a light, cool sheet. I think Damon knew I couldn't take anything else covering me right now. His hand was on my, and started to pull away. My eyes were closed, but I felt his smile burning through my eyelids as I refused to let go of his hand, "Don't go", I said.

He sighed, not as if it was repellent to him, but as if he was satisfied. Damon climbed into the bed with me. We pulled ourselves towards each other, me on my stomach, him on his back. I was half on top on him, and I didn't really care that I wasn't wearing a bra.

He had took off his shirt, so the skin on skin contact was soothing and comforting. My head was resting on his shoulder, his arm around me, the hand resting at my waist. Our other hands were intertwined together. My eyes closed. Everything felt right in the world.

I nuzzled in closer to him, feeling his chest go up and down with breath he didn't actually need. All too soon, because I wanted to revel in this new closeness, I felt the warm darkness of sleep closing in on me.

**Damon Salvatore Point of View:**

I watched as Ally nuzzled in closer to me, soft, content smile playing on her lips as she drifted off to dream land.

It was strange to think about, everything that had led to this point.

At first she was Vicki's friend, a stupid girl, who didn't know better than to offer her blood to a young vampire. I was coming to dispose of the body of whoever Vicki decided to kill. But then I had come upon them, and she had raised her already lolling head to meet my gaze. Her eyes had startled me.

It wasn't the color, though the almost celery silver-green tone had thrown me off completely. No, it had been the expression in those eyes. She knew she was going to die, and she accepted it. No screaming, no pleading, no tears. Just simple acceptance of her fate. It struck me as strange how ready and willing she was to die for her friend. I saw how cold she was, and pulled her to me without a thought. I saw her pain, and used all of my influence so this courageous girl's last moments would be pleasant.

But then her life had really started to fade, her candle had begun to flicker, and I couldn't do it. I couldn't let her die. I forced Vicki to stop, and then followed their scent, and took the girl home. She was on the edge of unconsciousness, and I was willing to give her that relief, but first she had to invite me in, which she did. Without hesitation. I wrote that off as her weakened state.

As I laid her down onto her bed, I knew she was going to die. I couldn't let it happen. So I had her drink my blood.

After, when she was on the edge of sleep, I kissed her and said good night. Then I removed her shoes, and left. Something about her had bothered me, and got under my skin. I wouldn't say I couldn't stop thinking about her, but she was certainly in my thoughts. I took Vicki to find another donation, just to be certain. I didn't want Ally's near death experience to be for nothing. I knew then that I should influence her mind so she forgot all of it, but I wouldn't let myself. I had to know more.

The more time I spent around her, the more the little things about her struck me as beautiful. The way the light hit her hair, and the expression in her eyes as she laughed.

She wasn't Katherine. She was nothing like Katherine. Not in her personality, nor in her appearance. Maybe it was the fact of how unlike Katherine she was that kept me coming back for more? I wasn't sure. And I wasn't going to think about it hard enough to find out.

I was ready to kill Stefan when I saw what he did to her. That should have sent alarm bells ringing in my brain, but it didn't. I was too distracted by the fluttering of her eyes under closed lids, the wanderings of her mind in dreamland. "Damon", she whispered, so softly and reverently, the sound a perfect mix of velvet and chocolate. I liked the way she said my name. "Damon", she said again.

The lazy grin stretched across my face had nothing to do with the break through I had that morning with rescuing Katherine, nor had it to do with nearly pounding Stefan's face in. It was all Ally. And I knew that should bother me more than it did. I placed a kiss on her temple, and she smiled, feeling it through her dream.

_**Here, I'm going to tell you about honorable mention. If you review every single chapter, you get honorable mention. **_

_**Current honorable mentions: Dawnie-7.**_

_**I would like to see more people get on the honorable mention list. Get busy reviewing! **_

_**And leave me a line about Damon, or Stefan, or Ally. Heck, tell if you think Elena should get a bigger role! I just want to hear from you!**_

_**Lot's of Love,**_

_**Dustfinger's Cheering Section**_


	5. Five Days I'm sure I remember

_**Okay, before you read this and totally freak out, this is not the last chapter. Just wanted to let you know.**_

_**This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, only two thousand six hundred and eighty nine (2,689) words.**_

_**So, yeah. Shorter. If I was going to end this, you would get a five or six thousand word chapter. Maybe seven or eight.**_

Damon had been eerily distant when he dropped me off at home that night.

After a few hours, I had woken up. Damon had wanted to know exactly what had happened that lead to the situation he had walked in on. The more I said, the harder his features became, turning to stone before my very eyes. He ushered me into a lonely shower, where I got all of the dried mystic gunk off my back. I felt good, and I wasn't in any pain. I wanted to ask Damon what it was, but that didn't a wise thing at the moment.

I just sighed, before pulling up my shirt and and looking at my back in the mirror.

It was bruised, but just barely. More like I had jumped eyeshadow on my back than the blue and black angry mass I had been expecting. The mental reminders would last longer than any of the bruises. I didn't envy Stefan the anger Damon had toward him. I shivered, in a very bad way, at the reminder of Stefan. I knew I wouldn't be able to look at him without cringing in the morning.

How do you face someone who tried to kill you? I didn't know, but I assumed you didn't bring it up. So, that's what I would do. I would pretend it had never happened. I would just bury it deep into the recesses of my mind, and leave the memories there to gather dust. I wouldn't think about it. As far as I was concerned, it hadn't happened.

I showered, and did my home work. I made a sandwich for dinner. I watched _Whose Line Is It Anyway? _and laughed till my side hurt. I turned on the radio, and sang along for about a hour. I just tried to ignore it all.

But then I really thought about it. Would any of this have happened if Vicki hadn't come to me that night? No, I knew it wouldn't have. I may have ended up meeting Damon another way, but probably not. I had the impression he generally went for flashier girls than me. I wasn't flashy, or eye grabbing, there wasn't a whole lot to make you look twice, and I knew it.

I had never had a boyfriend, not a real one. And I knew Damon wasn't my boyfriend. Damon wasn't my anything. He was here for now, and that had to be enough. Before I had left, I had pressed him to know how he became a vampire. He had told me in a monotone voice. All about Katherine, and Stefan. I felt sick to my stomach hearing about it. Katherine was selfish, wanting both of them.

I knew that, on paper, Stefan would be the better one to spend my life with. He was reliable, and the kind of guy to take you out to a three course dinner on your date nights. But, Stefan wasn't offering, and I wasn't interested. I got wild Damon, for as long as I had his attention. Which wouldn't be too long, I figured.

For a brief, crazy minute, I considered becoming a vampire, and staying with Damon forever. I chuckled at the thought. I would make a horrible vampire.

Eventually, I made my way to bed. Hesitating just a moment, I took off the bracelet Damon had given me. I had been disenchanted by the afternoon's events, and I wasn't too sure I wanted to continue this THING Damon and I had going. I couldn't understand him, and I couldn't predict what he would do next.

As my eyes were closing, I became determined. I wouldn't be Damon Salvatore's Plaything a day longer. He could take me out on a real date, or he could stop kissing me.

!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#

It was monday again, had been a long weekend. I stayed inside, and I slept all day and all night. I did my homework, and I got a head in which classes I could.

I walked to school without any mishaps.

Stefan was in history, but he didn't look at me, just stared ahead. Elena was with him. I couldn't go up and talk to him, because I could sense that he hadn't told her anything about me. If he had, she would have been looking at me. Not that there was much to tell. I wasn't Damon's anything.

The day was long, and boring.

After school, I left just a tad quicker than I normally did. I had to force myself to forget about Friday Afternoon.

I almost convinced myself to walk to the boarding house, but I just couldn't do it. I had kept wearing the bracelet, but I would return it to Damon as soon as I saw him. I wasn't going to touch anything he gave me. I was done. I knew vampires were dangerous, and I finally understood I could get killed.

I was thinking, and walking, and not paying attention to my surroundings at all. I turned to walk out into the street. I didn't see the truck coming my way. I was too absorbed in my thoughts. I was half way across the street, when I felt myself being grabbed, and moved, so quickly, I couldn't even process.

We were on the other side of the street, and I had no idea how we got there.

I was in Damon's arms, laying my head against his chest, watching the truck that would have hit me.

Damon didn't speak to me. He just tugged me over to his car, and sat me in the passenger seat. His head was in his hands, and he was tugging furiously at his hair. I could feel the tension rolling off him in waves.

Even though it was dangerous, especially at that moment, I put my hand on his shoulder, and squeezed it comfortingly. I had lost sight of all my grand ideals. The ultimatums I would give him flying out of my mind completely. I knew, that if he asked me right then, I would give him anything. I so in too deep.

I don't know if my hand did a damn thing, but he seemed calmer, tense muscles relaxing under me.

I wasn't prepared for the first thing out of his mouth. Nothing could have prepared me.

"Vicki is dead", his voice was so low I almost though I had heard him wrong. He revealed his face, examining my reaction. I was cold, so cold. Frozen through to the core. No Vicki. It had been one thing, imagining cutting her out of my life for her own good, but I knew, deep down, that I never would have gone through with it. We were practically sister. We grew together, did everything together. Vicki, dead? It didn't register. I couldn't make sense of it.

Damon seemed to sense how much I just needed time. He removed my clenched hand from his shoulder, holding it tenderly in his own. He started the car, and began the drive. Not the one I was expecting, to the boarding house, but to my own home.

The car drove smooth along the twisting drive. Flowing down the road with a predators grace.

We got to my house. Damon came to my side of the car, picking me up in his arms, carrying me to the front door.

Damon stopped in front of my door. I wondered, briefly, what he was waiting for. I could be bothered to open the door, too wrapped up in my numb bubble of protection. I felt a light pressing on my mind, asking me to let him in. I knew it his influence, because I had a choice in the matter. I obliged, saying "Come in, Damon."

He walked up my stairs, knowing the way somehow.

We ended up in my bedroom.

Damon sat at the head of my bed, me between his legs, my back to his chest.

He let my hair down, combing through it with his hands. I was tired, so tired. I felt like I would never move again. I nuzzled into Damon, curling up and falling into a deep sleep.

The next few days are blurry. I knew I slept more than I should. Damon was with me every second. There when I woke up, there when I fell back into another unpleasant sleep. I had nightmares, horrible night terrors where I woke up screaming, crying out. Vicki was gone, and I was grieving.

I had the impression that Damon made me eat. I didn't want to eat, or drink, anything at all. I knew that he took off my bracelet, and influenced me into eating oatmeal, and drinking water. I had an impression that oatmeal was the only thing Damon knew how to cook. We got drunk, and I cried. I ate ice cream, and I cried. He tried to get me to watch TV, but I still cried.

I think at some point we talked, but for the most part it was silent. And Damon was always there. All day, all night. I had fleeting images and impressions of those few days, but nothing concrete except that Damon was there.

For the first time in four days, I woke up alone. I think that was what really woke me up. I checked my cell phone, sitting on my bedside table. It was saturday. I didn't realize days had passed. The last few days felt like hours. I looked down at my bare wrist, frowning. I almost never took the bracelet off. It was then I remembered that Damon had removed it.

I couldn't be angry with him, because I knew it was for my own good. Damon came in then, checking me over. He lay down next to me, pulling me into his arms. I tried to remember the last few days, and I couldn't.

"Vicki's dead", I murmured to Damon. I felt him nod. It was odd, but I didn't cry that time. I sat back, looking into his eyes. I needed to know. I questioned him with my eyes, but he ignored it purposely, pulling me back into his embrace.

I struggled, and he relented. "Who?" I questioned him. Damon sighed. Not like he wouldn't answer, but like he hated being the one to tell me all the bad things he had to.

I wasn't expecting the name that came to his lips.

"Alaric Saltzman."

I fell back into his arms. Not crying, just breathing in his scent, needing the comfort.

We sat that way for awhile, before I pulled back again. "Okay", I said.

And it was. I was sad, really sad. But there wasn't anything I could do about it. "I want to kill him for that," I added, as an afterthought. Damon chuckled.

"You're not in love with me," I said to Damon. He nodded, "No, I'm not." The confirmation stabbed me in the heart, even though I was expecting it. I just nodded. "I really wish you were," I told Damon, falling back into his arms again. And again I felt him nod. "You love Katherine, and you'll never love me, not while she's out there somewhere". My voice was certain. I wasn't asking, I knew this was the truth.

"I care about you," Damon offered up unexpectedly. I looked at him, unmasked surprise in my gaze. "I really care about you, Ally." I didn't know what to make of his words. I wasn't expecting them. After thinking it over for a moment, his caring about me made sense.

I just shook my head. "I don't know if that's enough for me," I told him truthfully. He nodded agin, watching me carefully.

"I wish I could love you," Damon's voice was once again unexpected, this time obviously pained. I could tell, by the look on his face, that he really did wish he could love me. "I love you," I offered up before I lost my nerve.

His eyes closed. He shook, all over, and buried his face in my neck, breathing me in.

I wasn't anticipating the kiss he gave me. It was gentle, and sweet, and caring. He poured everything he couldn't say into that kiss and I understood every word. The regret, and the pain, mixed with the caring and joy, creating a bitter sweet mix, because we both knew it couldn't last.

As we pulled back, staring into each other's eyes, he murmured softly, "Nothing gold can stay," kissing my nose softly.

I wanted to forget his words, and assume he loved me anyways, despite his words. I wanted to lie to myself, so badly. But I couldn't do that, to either of us.

We lay like that for who knows how long, tangled in out limbs, one entity, not knowing where he ended, and I began. The light in my room turned gold, and then red. Dark was falling. Damon's arms tightened around me as twilight fell.

"You need to go home," my voice was soft. "No, I don't. I'll be here as long as you need me," his voice was honest and earnest. And at his words I laughed bitterly. "Don't make promises you can't keep," My voice was more bitter than I had ever heard it. He just held me tighter, ignoring the fight I was trying to start. He knew what I had planned.

I'd pick a fight, get him angry, and then he'd leave. And then I would be alone. And I could blame it all on him. And that would be the end of us.

I wanted it. The simple ending. I would go with my life, go to college, meet a nice, safe boy to fall in love with, get married. Maybe have kids in ten or so years. The modern, suburban fairy tale. I wanted it, so badly at that point. But, I wanted it with Damon. And I knew I could never have it. And that pain hurt more than anything. We could never have that perfect life. He was a vampire, and he loved Katherine. That wasn't going to go away. He truly loved her, and there was no room for me in his heart like that.

Damon had met the love of his life over a hundred years ago. I had lost the fight before I had even been born.

Maybe one day he could grow to love me, but it would always be Katherine for him. He would always be searching for her. If he ever found her, I would be shoved aside, left in the dust. I should be more bothered by that than I was.

We just held each other. Leaving the unspoken terms for the morning.

!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#

Morning came, and I walked Damon to his car.

We kissed softly, but he pulled us apart after a moment.

"I'm close," We both knew without saying that he was talking about Katherine. I nodded. "I know where she is. I just need a few things to fall into place. And then I can get her out." I didn't even want to know any of this. I just nodded, accepting it all. Damon nodded at me, before pulling my scarred right wrist into his hand, and once again placing the bracelet on it. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You know what it does. I just want you to always be able to make your own decisions." I tried not to let his words get to me, but I was having trouble. "Stop trying to make this sound like good bye," I said, irritated with his manner.

And then it was his turn to raise an eyebrow, "It's not?" he questioned softly, almost as if he was afraid to look hopeful. I nodded, and then explained, "I want to meet Katherine, when you find her."

Damon didn't say a thing. Just looked at me long and hard.

We both nodded. Damon got into his car and drove away.

_**This was really hard to write, and I cried. Not a lot, but a fair amount of crying went on. **_

_**I'm sorry for the delay. School just started up, and I've been real busy. BUt, I will try to update every weekend. **_

_**Notice I say try. I suck with deadlines, so it may be more often, it might be a little less. WHo knows?**_

_**Leave me a line on how you would like to kill me.**_

_**Lot's of Love,**_

_**Tricia**_

_**Dustfinger's Cheering Section**_

_**P.S. Honorable mention will be every other chapter. Get on it, kids. You know you want to.**_

_**P.P.S. THis chapter only got to three thousand with the help of an authors not or two.**_


	6. Almost three months laterdot dotdot

_**This chapter is two thousand six hundred and twenty four (2,624) words long. Still a little on the short side, but not too bad. I didn't really enjoy writing this chapter two much, and when you read it, you'll understand why. I am sorry for not updating last weekend. My mother's boyfriend (who she's technically married to) was hogging the computer. MAkes me feel real unwanted and uncomfortable, because the computer is in the living room. Anyway, leave a line when you're done.**_

_**Disclaimer: I'm not the lovely L J Smith, and I don't own the vampire diaries. If I did, Damon would be in love with Ally, and not Elena.**_

It had been weeks since I had talked with Damon.

To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure how many, because I had stopped counting.

I couldn't live my life like that, pining after a man who would never be able to love me until he had put his past to rest. Damon would never give up Katherine.

Waking up every morning had begun to be a chore. I would turn over, and expect to see Damon laying beside me. Every time I heard a rustle at my window, I hoped it would be Vicki, come to say she wasn't dead, that it was all a practical joke, or a dream. I hoped that those two weeks were a dream with all my heart. If it was a dream, I hadn't lost either of them.

I was doing well in school. Not perfect, not great, but I wasn't failing, not by a long shot. I avoided Mr. Saltzman like the plague. I avoided Stefan when I could. That was harder.

Stefan was always looking at me, as if trying to understand why Damon had become attached to me, if only for a short time. I often wondered the same, when I was all alone.

I knew the kind of guy Damon was, and I wasn't the kind of girl he should have picked. I wasn't a one night stand type, I was a real relationship kind of girl. Even if I'd never had one, I knew I couldn't do flings. And Damon wasn't a fling.

I don't know how to classify what we were, but it wasn't a fling, for either of us.

If it was a fling, then I was bad at them, because I was fairly certain you weren't supposed to fall in love. And I was totally and completely in love with Damon. I knew it was the truth. I wouldn't lie to myself about that. I knew I had to accept that I loved Damon, and Damon didn't love me. If we had had a few months, or even a few years, Damon might have one day been able to say the words to me, but he would always love Katherine more.

I didn't hate Katherine. I probably should have, but I couldn't. That would have been hypocritical of me. How could I hate her for loving Damon, when I loved Damon myself? I would admit to being slightly jealous of her. If she really looked so much like Elena Gilbert, I had never stood a ghost of a chance. I knew I wasn't ugly, but I was no great beauty either, and any one who said different was lying.

I remembered a conversation with Damon, in the days after Vicki died. I had confessed to always feeling insignificant standing next to her, because she was so much prettier than I ever thought I could be. Damon's reply was one of the few things I remembered.

He had chuckled at me, amused by my assessment. "Ally," he had spoken softly, "You really have no idea of the appeal you hold, do you?" I had just shook my head at confused. "Maybe you're no beauty Queen, but I wouldn't want you, if you were," Damon explained. "It's all in your eyes. Your lovely silver green eyes. They hook people in, and refuse to let go. I could, and do, get lost in those eyes whenever I look at you."

Here he had paused. Lifting a hand to brush the wayward strands of hair out of my face.

The rest of the conversation was lost to me. I surprised I remembered that much. Lost of those days were lost in darkness to me. A mixture of pain and memories clouding out almost everything.

I just sighed, pushing the hair out of my face.

The sunlight coming in through my window caught the pretty silver bracelet Damon had left me with. I didn't know why I kept wearing it. Damon had asked me to, but every time I looked at it, I though of him, and our short stolen moment together. If it hadn't been happening to me, I would of thought it all terribly romantic. But this wasn't some novel I was reading for english. This was real life, and it all just hurt _so much_.

This was real. All of it was real. And there was nothing I could about it.

I got up from my bed. I had been laying in it all morning, feeling the sun on my face. I couldn't seem to get out of bed, some mornings. Trying was so hard. And hiding it all from my mother, for the three days she had been back in my life had been murder. Once again I was all alone, but now it scared me a little.

Before I had no idea about all of things that went bump in the night, but now that I knew, all of my old nightmares came back to me with full force. I feared the dark , and generally stayed up all night. I didn't want to know what would happen if I fell asleep. Mostly I stayed in the house, because I knew it was safe.

I don't think Damon had any idea how all he had told me had scared me. He probably didn't think of it. He was a mighty vampire, he didn't have to be afraid.

Suddenly I picked up habits I had never had before. Like making sure to go around to all the doors and windows, locking up throughly. I walked straight home after school, and I looked both ways before crossing the street.

I knew Damon was still in Mystic Falls. I saw him, watching me from street corners. He would stand guard under my window most nights, and that made me feel safer. He never trued to talk to me, or to come in. I hadn't rescinded his invitation this time, and he knew it. I saw it in his eyes, as he watched me.

Sometimes we would stare at each other from across the street. Sometimes our eyes would meet. His were always pleading, wanting me to just accept what he could give. I don't know how my eyes looked to him, I only know I tried not to meet his eyes. I felt an extreme amount of guilt over telling him to got away.

Every morning there was a yellow sticky not on my door, saying "Good Morning Ally,".

It made me feel warm and loved. Especially since it was from Damon.

I was desperately curious about how close Damon actually was to finding Katherine. A few weeks, a few years? Really, what was the difference when you had forever? A day or a year. A week or a decade. Damon would never change, and I would grow older.

It was probably stupid of me to be worrying about all of this. Nothing could ever change, because I wouldn't let it.

Do you know how that feels? To have the one thing you truly want, to be just a hands breath away? And to be the one denying yourself exactly what it is you want?

Damon hadn't exactly offered to turn me into a vampire. On our first night in the Mystic Grill, he said off handedly, that he wouldn't mind turning me into a vampire, if that was what I wanted. We both knew he wasn't serious. I completely abhorred the idea of it, at the time. He had just turned my best friend into a monster, and now he wanted to give me the same fate?

I almost wished he had made me the offer again, seriously this time, the morning we parted. If he had offered to give up Katherine, and just spend forever with me, I wouldn't have had the will power to say no. All of my inhibitions would have flown out the door, the second he made the offer. Eventually, after a few years, it would have started to bother me if he didn't say, "I love you". But by that time, the damage would have been done, and I would have been stuck in this life for eternity.

I don't know how I would have dealt with all of that, so I was glad he hadn't done it.

Most of me had a hard time letting go of Damon, and I had a feeling he had just as hard a time of it letting go if me. It should have bothered me more than it did that he was essentially stalking me. I chose not to look at it in that light. I though of it as him checking up on me, making sure I was okay.

Gradually, I noticed the seasons were changing, and I wasn't.

I was aging, but I was still the same. Like an old rock, weathered by the storm, but in essence the same old rock. Damon had changed me, and I could never go back to being the same person I was before. Vicki had changed me the day we met, and I was never the same after that. Wishing for the past would do no one any good.

I was Ally Town. At least, I thought I was. I used to be her, but I'm not really sure if I still am.

More weeks passed.

I got a letter in the mail, informing me that I had been nominated for the Miss Mystic Falls competition.

And even more time passed.

My grades began to go up again.

Days passed.

Christmas came and gone, and Damon was still following me.

And then a week passed and I didn't see him once.

I cried myself to sleep every night after that. I yearned for him to come back, so badly.

One day I looked at the calendar. It was January eighteenth. Vicki had been turned into a vampire on October fifteenth. My best friend had been almost three months. I had been without Damon longer than I had been with him, and the pain still felt as fresh as if a knife was being shoved in my stomach.

It had been two weeks since Damon had stopped following me. Maybe he had given up, and maybe he had found Katherine. I didn't know. And no matter how I tried to tell myself I didn't care, I truthfully cared very much.

It was about then that I remembered that I told Damon I wanted to meet Katherine. I wanted to know exactly what I had lost to. I needed to know, to see the girl that Damon was in love with. No one said it was a logical desire, but I had to know.

I managed to push thought of both Damon and Katherine out of my head for two more weeks. After that I couldn't. Not because I didn't want to to, but because when I got home form school that day, Damon was sitting on my front porch.

I stopped about five feet away from him.

My bag hit the ground with a dull thud. At the noise he looked up.

I had to look away from him. There was so much pain in those eyes. I had no idea what to do.

And then he started sobbing. Not really crying, but all out sobbing, as if his entire heart had been ripped to shreds. I didn't ask questions, not one. I just lead him inside, up the stairs to my room.

This time I held him, while he was falling apart. He tried to tell me what was wrong, but I just shushed him. It could wait. I held him close, and stroked through his thickly dark hair. I removed his jacket, and hung it on my bed post.

Eventually he quieted, and we just laid side by side in bed together, drinking the image of the other person in. We fell asleep holding hands, just barely, our fingers more hooked together than clasped.

I woke with in with Damon's arms wrapped around me firmly.

I tried to leave his warm embrace, and he just held me closer. I attempted to wake Damon up, but to no avail. He just continued snoring away. Resigned to my fate, I snuggled in closer, and attempted to get a few more hours of shut eye.

When I woke again it was afternoon, most likely far later than I should have slept.

Damon was eyeing me in a speculative way. His unwavering gaze made my face grow warm, a blush rising firmly, and settling in my cheeks, due to the intensity of his gaze.

We stayed that way for quite a while, just looking at each other.

Damon was the one who finally broke our staring contest. He brought a hand up to my face, softly tracing my features. My eyes closed, and I relished in the feelings. When his hand came to my lips, I held completely still. But he didn't hesitate, or pause, his soft index finger slid over my lips, and I felt warm, far too warm. If I needed conformation that he still wanted me, that would have been it.

It had taken me a while to realize that Damon was a man of few words, and that his actions spoke what his words could not.

After a while, he simply held my face in his hands, looking at me. I opened up my eyes agin, this time prepared for the intensity of his gaze.

"This doesn't change anything, does it?" My voice was so quiet, I almost couldn't hear it. But I knew Damon heard me loud and clear.

"Katherine wasn't stuck anywhere. She chose not to keep me," Damon's voice sounded weak and broken when he admitted the truth to me.

I just closed my eyes. I wasn't happy about this. Damon was so broken up over it. I didn't know how to react. My anger wanted to spike, but I kept it firmly in check. Yelling at would do nothing right now.

"You're still in love with her," My voice was shaking. I could hear it, and I knew Damon could hear it too.

"I wish I wasn't," Damon's confession came, "It would be so much easier to hate her then."

I chuckled darkly at his admission. "Now you know how I've been feeling. If I wasn't so in love with you, I would want to kill you for some of the crap you've been pulling."

Damon smiled warmly, and lent forward to kiss me.

I held up my hand in front of his lips, and said simply, "No."

He tried agin, and I dodged. "No," I declared again, slightly louder.

We both sat up in my bed, staring each other down. Damon's voice was slightly petulant, when it did come, "Why the hell not?"

"No matter how angry and hurt you are, you're still in love with her. I refuse to be your rebound, Damon." My voice was firm. He knew I was sticking to this decision.

"You're _not _my rebound," Damon growled angrily.

I just looked him in the eyes, really looked at him. I let my all my reasons fill my gaze. He knew what I was saying, and he knew it was the truth. That didn't mean he had to like it.

Damon stood up from my bed. He grabbed his jacket, and was out the door before I could say a single thing. I tried following after him, but he was long gone, too fast for my human self.

I fell down in the living room, and started to cry softly on the couch.


	7. Was I Drowning or Suffocating?

**_Okay, so another short chapter, only two thousand two hundred and forty one words (2,241). Everything is a tasted a little odd to me in this one, I think because I'm on the edge of getting sick. I hope you all don't try and and kill me after you've read it. Leave me a line._**

I hadn't seen Damon in three days.

I couldn't decide if this was a good thing or not.

I wouldn't be that girl he slept with to get Katherine off his mind. I knew that, and I think Damon should have known that as well. But even with all of that, I was lonely without him.

Truth be told, I wanted my mom to hold me and make it all batter. She still didn't know that Vicki was dead. I hadn't heard from her at all, except for a quick email two weeks ago, to tell me she wasn't dead. I felt alone, and neglected. I needed to be held close, and I wanted to cry my eyes out again and again, to be told everything is all right. In reality, I wanted Vicki, my best friend back.

Vicki was my whole life for so long, and then one day she was wrenched out of my life. By Damon, my subconscious whispered. Not by Damon, I thought back. Mr. Saltzman killed her. He drove the stack through her heart. I pictured the scene in my mind, Vicki fighting for her life, Mr. Saltzman grinning evilly as he ended her life, laughing at a job well done. I felt disgusted. The Small amount of food I had managed to force down, was churning painfully in my stomach.

I rushed to the bathroom.

I made it in barely enough time to throw the toilet seat up, before violently emptying the contents of my stomach into the porcelain bowl. I kept throwing up. I couldn't stop. I was light headed from lack of oxygen, pressure building in my head, I felt like I was being ripped in two, torn right down the middle.

I don't really know how long I stayed that way, but it felt like an endless torture. Eventually it all became too much. In the back of my mind I registered that the vomiting had finally stopped. My knees buckled, too weak to support my weight, and I fell down on the bathroom floor. I couldn't seem to get a whole breath. Darkness swarmed my vision, sparks skittering across my eyes. I felt like death. This is how I imagined death would feel. And I would die alone.

The darkness consumed me, and I went out like a light.

!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!#!

I slowly began to regain consciousness.

The first thing I noticed was the vile flavor filling my mouth. It tasted acidic, and like bile. I recalled dimly that it was actually bile. The next thing I realized was that I no longer on the bathroom floor. I was laying in my bed, covers pulled up to my chin.

I forced my eyes opened.

I was expecting the bright afternoon light that normally filled my room, but I was dead wrong.

My curtains were pulled tightly shut, and the room was cooly dark. My eyes worked hard, straining to see anything. I noticed a dark haired man sitting in the chair across the room, by the window. There was a half empty bottle sitting on the table next to him. His head was in his hands, and he appeared to be in an extreme amount of pain.

I examined him, trying to place him, I knew I should know him some how, but I just couldn't remember. My head was way too foggy. I noticed a thick and heavy ring on his hand, a very pretty blue, lapis lazuli, I was almost sure. Scattered images flowed lazily through my mind. I was sitting with the man, talking with the man, kissing the man.

_Damon!_ my mind shouted towards the man in pain.

He looked up at my mental shout, face worried. When he saw my eyes open, and for all the world looking alive and well, the relief was visible in every line of his face. Damon was by my side much faster than my eyes could follow. I was being cradled in his arms, held close to his heart. I noticed that Damon's shoulders were shaking silently, whether with sobs, or laughter, I wasn't sure, and I bet he didn't know either.

"I almost lost you, Ally," His words were whispered directly into my ear. "I could feel your light fading, your heart slowing." Damon paused to take a large, unnecessary breath, before continuing, "I was so _scared_."

His words made me pause. I had yet to say anything. I remembered what Damon had told me when I had took his blood the first time, I wondered.

I held up my scarred up wrist, and point it out to him. Damon's eyes were questioning, I just tilted my head to the side, asking my question silently. I knew Damon understood, when his eyes widened noticeably.

"No," He said, "You didn't have anywhere near enough of my blood in your system to make a difference. You would've died. That's why I was so scared," Damon stopped talking, I don't think he meant to say that last bit.

I pondered that for a moment. He was scared because he would lose me. I knew that Damon cared for me greatly, but I also knew he still wasn't in love with me. Even with Katherine out of the picture, he wasn't ready to truly love me. I doubted if he would ever be ready to let go of his past. He still hated Stefan for how things had went down a hundred plus years ago. And I wasn't ready for this either.

I struggled out of Damon's arms. He let me go, and I headed over to the bathroom. The first order of business was brushing the bad taste out of my mouth. Then I hopped in a long, hot shower. I could sense that Damon was still sitting in my room.

About half way through my shower, I felt him walk around, and then the bathroom door opened. Damon paused a long moment in the bathroom. Goosebumps raised on my skin, just thinking of his proximity to me in this state. A small part of me was upset when he left the bathroom, and didn't try a thing.

As I got out of the shower, I noticed that Damon had left me some clothes, and undergarments, on the counter. There was also a velvet box, the kind you put jewelry in. Also was the bracelet, which I had left on my bedside table. I had noticed a slight tan line on my wrist where the bracelet lay. I had considered not wearing it for a bit, to even out the skin tone, but had decided I would keep the thing on. Even if it made me think of Damon, both a good thing, and a bad thing, depending on the day.

I examined the clothing. It appeared that Damon had dug through my closet, and found one of the only dresses I owned. It was light and lacy, a clean summery white, that went down to my mid calve. There was a ruffled hem line, and slightly puffed up cap sleeves. It dipped pretty far in the back, showing a daring amount of skin. The front had a simple scoop neck, except there was a tie that kept the front of the dress closed. If you undid the tie, the whole top of the dress fell open, revealing everything. I hadn't chosen it. It was a seventeenth birthday gift from my mother, and I had never worn it.

I opened the bathroom door a crack, and shouted through it, "You're crazier than I though if you think I'd wear that!" I heard Damon's distinctive chuckle sound from my bedroom.

I heard Damon walking towards the bathroom door. He knocked just lightly, and I held out the white dress. He laughed again, and replaced it with what felt like jeans and a t-shirt. Before he left, he said "Put on your bracelet. And look in the box."

I wasn't entirely sure how he knew I hadn't checked it yet. I just shrugged it all off. I examined the new set of clothing. It was my favorite pair of old, comfy jeans, paired with a pink Aerosmith shirt I had got at a concert last summer. With Vicki, I remembered. I pushed back the ever present pain, got dressed.

I slipped on my bracelet. I was about to leave the bathroom, when I remembered the velvet box.

I sat down on the counter, and braced myself.

It was a simple silver necklace. A thick braided silver chain. Hanging from the chain was a polished dark blue circle, about the size of an fifty cent piece, and nearly an eighth of an inch thick. There were flecks and veins of gold throughout the circle. I knew it was lapis lazuli. Just like Damon's ring. And Stefan's, I remembered.

I fingered it gently for a moment, before pulling it out of the box, and holding it up to my neck, glancing at the reflection in the mirror. The oddness of the necklace suited me. I knew it look beautiful with anything I chose to wear it with.

If I was going to keep it, I thought firmly. Which I'm not, I decided, as I put it back and snapped the box shut. I made myself get angry. He can't just buy me a necklace, and make everything okay!

I marched back into my room, and dropped the offensive box on Damon. He was laying in my bed, seemingly trying to take a nap.

He cracked an eye open as I shoved him over, before laying down next to him.

"You can't keep giving me jewelry," I announced.

"If I want to, I can," Damon reminded me.

"I don't have to accept!" Was my witty reply.

Damon turned towards me then, head propped up on his hand. I turned towards him as well, and mirrored his stance. We examined each other for a long moment, deciding how far we were each going to take this. After a long moment, Damon reached over, and grabbed the box. He opened it up, and leaned closer to me, holding the necklace up to my throat.

"I don't see the fuss," Damon said, "I happen to think it looks lovely on you."

I threw my hands up into the air, before falling back with my eyes closed. "This has nothing to do with your taste in jewelry. I just don't want _any_," I paused to stress this, "Jewelry."

Damon seemed to be assessing the situation. "If you don't accept my trying to make up gift, does that mean we're not made up?"

I was completely flabbergasted. I wasn't expecting that direction _at all_. Evidently, I decided, Damon was a lot more insecure about our, for lack of a better word, relationship than I was. I just rolled my eyes at him.

"Give me the damn necklace," I decided.

Damon grinned evilly at me. He leaned over, and started kissing his way from my collar bone, to the stop of my neck. Pausing at my pulse point, he lightly scraped his teeth over the throbbing vein. I shivered. I could feel Damon grinning at the effect he was having on me.

I was unconsciously leaning towards him, trying to give him better access. In the recesses of my mind, I realized I was offering up my neck to a vampire. I used my hands to pull Damon's face up to meet mine, and kissed him full on the mouth.

Damon flipped us over, pressing me into the bed. I traced his extended fangs with my tongue. Damon groaned deep in his throat at that, pulling me closer and closer. I had my hands threaded into Damon's thick dark hair, while his hands were gripping my waist.

I felt Damon's hands leave my waist, and make their way to my shoulders, and then tracing my neck. I felt his hands leave me for a moment, so I leaned closer, into his warmth. I felt something cool against my neck. And then Damon pulled away.

He was grinning, victorious.

It was several more minutes before Damon left.

I was laying in bed, still breathing hard. Trying to wrap my mind around what had happened. I couldn't work out what was going on with us. For all I knew, Damon could have several girls lined up, and he visited them on a circuit. As soon as I thought that, I knew it wasn't true. Damon was just happy I wasn't really dead.

Imagine that, I laughed bitterly, suffocated by my own vomit.

I wanted to kill Mr. Saltzman, I decided. And not just in that, if I could I would, way. I really wanted to take a stake, and shove it through his heart, just like he had killed Vicki. The image of him in monumental pain was satisfying.

I should be more disturbed about what I was thinking, than I was, I decided. I shouldn't feel so comfortable with the idea of killing him, violently.

I would use the stake he gave after class, I decided. It would only be proper. The idea of his blood on my hands was satisfying, not sickening.

I decided I would go back to sleep. I still felt so tired.

I would deal with Mr. Saltzman tomorrow. And I would kill him, myself.

_**Does that qualify as a cliff hanger? I'm not sure, and if I've left you with one, then I'm very sorry. Let me know if you catch something I missed, spelling errors, or continuity. I couldn't remember for the life of me which wrist was scarred up while I was writing this, so I just wrote wrist. Is Damon in character? I really don't want this to sound like twilight, which it was mentioned it kind of did a few chapters back. Please stop me if I start writing like Stephenie Meyer! **_

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	8. Life is but a dream within a dream

**_Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries._**

I had barely fallen asleep when the dream came for me.

_I was running. Running fast and hard._

_The sky crackled overhead with lightning, and the chilly rain pelted me like stones. The world around me was a blur. One moment I was in the suburbs, the next I was running through a forest. Something was chasing me. And it was getting closer. _

_The cold. Bone deep, teeth chattering cold. The kind of cold that makes you shake and feel as if you were breathing ice. It was so cold it burned me from the inside out._

_Now I was running through the forest again. The sky was night, and the rain didn't let up, but the forest was lit as if in day. I heard a scream, off in the distance. Without stopping to think it through, I changed directions, heading towards the screams._

_The ground slipped out from beneath my feet, and I hit the ground hard. The rain had turned the forest into a mud slide, and I tried to not panic as I slid down a steep hill, choking on rain and leaves and mud, as the little rocks sliced through my skin._

_I finally made to the bottom of the hill. But I couldn't stand. My legs were gelatin, refusing to hold my weight. There was nothing I could do and but sit and watch._

_I felt the hairs rising on the back of my neck, and knew the monster I was trying to outrun had finally caught up to me._

_My eyes shut hard for a moment, trying to will it all away._

"_Ally," whispered an eerily familiar voice. _

_My eyes snapped open, not believing what they saw. Vicki._

"_Ally," she spoke again._

_And then she was behind me, pushing me into a sitting position, brushing the hair off my neck. But then the air behind me was empty again, as soon as I turned to look._

_I found my legs and tried to stand, having to lean against a tree for support. The storm continued to rage, but the daylight was gone from the wood. Instead it had fallen into the grayness of predawn._

"_Vicki!," I called out, both hoping and dreading a response._

_I felt a hand rest on my shoulder, her face beside mine, as she whispered, "You're bleeding, Ally."_

_I whirled around to face her, but she was already gone. _

"_Don't try to look at me." Vicki's voice rang from every direction._

"_This is my world, and I make the rules." _

"_Vicki," I breathed out. "Please. Stop. You're scaring me."_

"_And you disgust me," Vicki said from behind me, before shoving me forward onto my knees. "I should kill you. But you can't die in dreams."_

"_Vicki," I pleaded, "Please. Just tell me what I did."_

_Her voice was harsh and expressionless. The bitterness was tangible as she chuckled._

"_You know what you've been doing." Her voice had a ring of finality to it._

"_Cavorting with my executioner while my murderer runs free." I understood. Finally._

"_Damon was not your 'executioner'!" I stated fiercely._

"_He condemned me to this." Vicki said. "Or have you forgotten already?_

_He can't interfere. Not here. This is beyond him." _

_My legs caved beneath me again, and my world was nothing but the mud underneath me, and the torture Vicki was putting me through. White hot needles being stabbed into me, inside and out. _

"_His blood is in you now, too." I couldn't tell how Vicki felt about this._

_I felt her walking over to me, more than heard. Her foot flipped me over, my tear stained face greeting her. She looked just as I remembered, only she had never looked this cold in real life. Never. _

"_Does he love you, Ally?" Vicki's voice was introspective, and she looked at me like she was appraising a painting. "Does he?" Her voice got more and more harsh, the tip of her boot digging into my flesh._

_And it was like a watching an old TV as Vicki was both there and not at the same time, blurring in and out of focus, static blocking my view._

"_I think so." I finally answered her. And I could tell immediately that that was the wrong answer. _

"_Then ask him where he put my body!" Vicki roared, lightning flashing dramatically across the sky, in seeming tandem with her mood. "Ask him where I am now! Ask!"_

_And it was no longer just Vicki who was covered with static, but this whole dream world, flashing in and out of existence. She didn't need it anymore. Her message was delivered._

_Everything was black for a long moment._

_And then we were back in my bed room, a few months ago, the night Vicki came to me. I watched with Vicki at my side as our past selves replayed the old drama. It was like a old movie, with no sound. But we didn't need it. Both of us remembered exactly._

"_You shouldn't have saved me." Vicki's voice was hard and full of ice._

"_I couldn't have done anything else." I stated. Unnecessarily, I thought._

"_I was wasn't even cold in the ground before you were kissing my murdered," Vicki reminded me. "Damon didn't kill you," I retorted. I saw her open her mouth to interrupt from the corner of my eye. "No, listen," I told her. "Damon turned you into a vampire. And I'm implying that he acted correctly, but he's not who he was then. He's changed. And so have I. I'm not the girl you left. I understand now."_

_We faced each other, a silent stare off, neither side willing to back down._

"_You have your whole life in front of you," Vicki said, almost softly. _

"_I do," I agreed, head bowed._

"_Don't let him steal your life away," Vicki said. I was about to argue, when Vicki held up her hand in a 'wait', motion. So I paused, and waited to see what she had to say._

"_He's a vampire," Vicki waited to make sure I was listening. I nodded._

"_He's going to want to keep you." My brow furrowed, trying to puzzle out her meaning. It was like a light bulb going off over my head when I realized her meaning. She thought Damon wanted to change me into a vampire. _

"_But he doesn't," I tried to argue. Vicki just raised her eyes at me. "No, really-," I started, but then broke off. The picture of the blue necklace came back with a vengeance. And how he didn't hesitate with giving me his blood. His worry that I would die without enough of his blood in me. Enough to turn me. _

_I looked up and met her eyes pleadingly. _

"_I didn't realize," I began, but Vicki interrupted._

"_No, you just didn't want to realize."_

_I wanted to argue it, but I couldn't, not really. So I said the only thing I could. _

"_I'm sorry."_

_Vicki just nodded._

"_Is this," I paused, and tried again, "Is this just inside my head, or is it all real?"_

_And for the first time since she appeared, Vicki laughed._

"_Of course it's inside your head, Ally-Cat," She said fondly. "But why should that mean it's not real?"_

_I didn't have an answer for her._

"_It's time for me to go," Vicki said. She saw me about to argue, but raised her hand again. "Sweetheart," Vicki said, "I'm dead. D-E-A-D. It's time for me to go."_

_And then she was gone. And nothing of her dream was left._

_I stayed crouched in the darkness for what felt like an eternity, before I felt consciousness started clawing at me, drawing me out of the dream._

I was awake, but it was still dark out. Four fifteen a.m., if my alarm clock was to be believed. And some days it couldn't be.

I scrambled out of bed, flicking on a light, looking for the piece of paper that had been left on my bedside side table. It was a yellow sticky note, covered in writing from a mechanical pencil that lay beside it. A short series of numbers, followed by an lopsided heart and a flourished 'D'.

My hands shook as I dialed the number, misdialing and having to start over nearly a dozen times. I finally got it right.

The anticipation as I heard the other end ringing was painful.

Finally, his familiar voice filled the ear pushed up to the phone, "Hello?"

I said what I had called to say, "We need to talk."

**_Okay, that I believe qualifies as a cliff hanger._**

**_Happy New Years! This is a special present for being good and not leaving me as I worked out my issues. _**

**_Leave me a line and tell me what you think, even though I don't really deserve it after I've left you all hanging for so long._**

**_And I'm sorry that this is mostly dream sequence, but Vicki started shouting, and needed to be heard._**

**_And no, I haben't forgotten about Ally wanting to murder Mr. Saltzman, but it just isn't being dealt with this chapter._**

**_Hopefully, it'll happen next chapter._**

**_Give me your New Years Resolutions, and I'll answer one question. _**

**_For example, 'Will Damon and Ally end up together?', 'Will Ally be turned into a vampire?', or anything else you can think of about the story._**

**_Lot's of Love,_**

**_Dustfinger's Cheering Section,_**

**_Tricia_**


	9. Fast Forward Backwards and Try To KeepUp

**_Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries._**

It had been three years since I made that last phone call to Damon. And in that time, so much had changed.

I had graduated High School, cut my hair, grew my hair back out, a couple nervous breakdowns, tried the party scene, and finally figured out that telling Damon to give me time to grow up was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make.

After that dream, I had been shaken. And it had taken me too months, to finally admit I wasn't ready for any of it. Vampires, Witches, Werewolves, meeting Katherine. Being a target just because Damon cared about me. Despite his best efforts, a few people had become dangerously to killing me. I'd had enough. And so, I'd left.

I went to college on the west coast. Took enough classes to get a four year degree in two and a half years, nearly a record. I didn't really sleep much.

Supposedly, I was 'finding myself' (the term my mother had used). We didn't talk much after I left, but then she got caught in the cross fire of the constant battle ground that is Mystic Falls. She died. I went back for two days. Just long enough to bury the body, and for Damon to hold me as I cried my eyes out over a woman I didn't really know.

I shook myself, and focused on the present. I turned off the water, noticing it had gone cold, wondering just how long I had been day dreaming.

My normal habit was to avoid mirrors. I couldn't stand looking at all the scars. Vicki's bite. The werewolf's bite. Katherine trying to kill me once I let her out of the tomb. Scars left over from knives, and teeth, and other equally sharp things. Thick, ugly scars that covered me all over. Most fading, some horribly vibrant. I didn't wear strapless dresses, or short skirts. I only showed my arms during the hottest part of summer. Whenever I saw Damon, he assured me I was beautiful. And yet, somehow I didn't believe him.

I was damaged, and broken. My encounters with the supernatural had been harsh, and brutal. I never walked away unscathed. Sometimes I envied Elena. She was still as frustratingly perfect as the day I met her. I knew she had scars, just like me. But when you looked at her, you didn't see a girl who used to be beautiful. You saw a beautiful girl who had been through hell and back, and looked all the stronger for it. I just looked faded. Like a flower kept out of the sunlight, and deprived of water.

My bags were packed. All of my things had been shipped to the house ahead of me. I was twenty one years old. And I was finally going home to Mystic Falls.

I was dressed in worn jeans, and an faded concert T. Torn and paint splattered converse, that used to lime green. A leather jacket that was older than I was. A knit bag that held the bare necessities. I always traveled light.

The airport was crowded. People backed away from me when they met my eyes. I knew I looked more like a vampire than Damon did, with my too pale skin, and heavy circles under my eyes, covered in bruise like shadows. My hair was limp and uncared for. I washed it, and brushed it, but that was about it. I didn't wear make-up.

The airplane ride was long. I sat by myself. I read my book. I made myself not think about Damon. I didn't know if he was still in Mystic Falls, and if he wasn't, I refused to get my hopes up.

A taxi from the airport was expensive, but no one knew I was back in Virginia. I hadn't stayed in contact with anyone over the last nine months. I just woke up last week, and knew it was time. I was sick of the half-life I was living. I needed closure.

My first stop was the graveyard. I said hello to my mother. I told her about my life. I left flowers on her grave. I may have cried a bit. But then I went home. And I went sleep.

My room was how I remembered.

The memories over came me. Vicki coming in the window. Damon carrying me through the forest. Months of mourning for my best friend. The bracelet Damon gave me in the Mystic Grill. The necklace he left on the counter as an apology as I was showering. Before all of that. Sleep overs with Vicki. Mud fights in the yard. Climbing the big tree in the back yard. Exploring the woods. Mom making dinner. Doing homework on my bed. Watching movies in the living room. And later, just lying in bed with Damon after Vicki died. When I was so far gone he had to compel me to eat.

I was never really as alone I though. Vicki loved me. Damon loved me. My mother loved me, in her own way. Even Stefan grew to love me, when he saw how I could pull Damon out of the dark.

I lay on my bed, all alone, for who knew how many hours. Missing all the people I had lost, and all the people I pushed away. My mind drifted to the pocket knife in my desk drawer. The pills that were still in the medicine cabinet. The river that flowed through the woods, just a twenty minute or so walk away. I thought of all of that and more. And I couldn't really convince myself that they weren't all good ideas. But then I remembered almost dying in the bathroom before. How scared Damon was.

It was like a bucket of cold water dumped over my head. I wouldn't kill myself until after I settled things with Damon. He had eternity. He needed closure more than I did.

I heard a car honk outside my window. I rushed over and saw what I was lest expecting.

I breathed one word, before I fell back.

"Damon."

**_Author's Note: Hi. Yes. I'm back to writing. I can't promise any kind of regular updates until May. I've got a hell of a lot going on. _**

**_I'm sorry it's been so long. I'm going to try for one update a month. I was rereading this story, and noticed the time skips around a lot. One chapter was about six months, and this one was three years. If this bothers you, I'm sorry. This chapter is one thousand and twenty three words (1,023). On the short side, but I refuse to post a chapter under a thousand words. Thank you all for sticking with me this long. It's been a year since I posted that first one-shot, and I can't believe I've come this far. There is going to be a poll on my page, so please vote. I have no right to ask for reviews, but they make me smile anyway._**

_**Hope this isn't as crappy as I think it is.**_

_**Tell me what you think.**_

_**Lot's of Love,**_

_**Tricia**_


	10. Jump Fall Stop Crying Jump Again

I caught my breath, and held onto the edge of my dresser with a death grip, swaying as the dizziness overtook me.

Deep breaths, I instructed. This was no time to lose my head. I needed clear thought.

Slowly, ever so slowly, I released the dresser, noticing how it had bit into my palm, leaving red welts. But it hadn't broken the skin, for which I was thankful.

Approaching a vampire with an open wound sounded incredibly stupid. And I wasn't stupid. Not anymore. I had learned my lessons, worked for my experience.

First one step, then another, down the stairs of my childhood home. Through the kitchen, living room, and finally reaching the door.

That was when my resolve faltered. I couldn't do it. I couldn't open that door and face him, knowing what I had put both of us through.

Crumpling into a ball, I got as close as physically possible to the door, knowing he was sitting on the porch by now, waiting for me to get the courage to join him on

the other side. I wrapped my arms around my knees, and shook a bit. I hadn't seen Damon since my mother died.

How sick was that? The last time I saw the love of my life was at a funeral.

/The love of my life?/ I questioned myself. It's true, I couldn't deny it. There was a time when I truly believed myself to be in love with Damon. But then I had grown up a bit,

and realized the truth of it. It wasn't Damon I loved, it was the idea of him. I loved that someone loved me. That someone who wasn't Vicki gave a damn. How was I supposed

to face him now, the man who must love me, at least a little, when I wasn't sure at all of how I felt about him?

I was attracted to him, I was sure of that. And I genuinely liked him, counting him among one of the few friends I've ever had. And somehow, that held a lot more weight

in my mind than ho good he looked without a shirt. He was funny, and witty, and completely clueless when it came to helping people (but he still tried). He gave me

alcohol when I was underage, not because he wanted me boozed up and complacent, but because he thought it would help me cope. He recognized that him having

compulsion put me at a disadvantage, which terrified me, and so he evened the playing field, supplying me with a shield that even he couldn't break through. He

gave me jewelry to apologize, because he wasn't any good at finding the words. He held me when I wanted to die…

…The afternoon light turned the autumn trees golden, making the cemetery much more beautiful than it should look. I had left Mystic falls barely six months ago.

I was weak, and couldn't deal with pressure. I knew it was the right decision, but that didn't make things any easier. And now she was dead.

The mother who was never really there. Who had hired nannies to live with us until I was twelve, and deemed old enough to look after myself. She had never

met Vicki, and therefore couldn't notice her absence. Vicki. The pain still shot through my chest like lightening at the memory of my vivacious friend. There

was no saving her, no matter how hard I had tried that night in the woods. The night I met Damon.

It was as if my thoughts had summoned him. I looked up from her gravestone, and there he was. Wordlessly, it seemed as if he absorbed everything I needed to say.

And then he was stepping forward, and wrapping me up in his arms, and I cried. We stayed there for a few hours. He wanted to take me home, or to his house, but

I declined, stating that I had a plane to catch. He drove me to the airport, and I left without saying good bye.

The creaking of the porch-swing outside brought me out of my thoughts, and I noticed that the light had changed. He was still here.

In that moment, I decided that none of it mattered. Maybe I hadn't loved Damon then, but I was ready to now. He deserved better than that.

I got to my feet, shoes scuffing on the floor. The creaking stopped. I put my hand on the cold door knob, and it felt like my heart was going to stop.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. And then I jumped. And never looked back.

_**Seven hundred and seventy six (776) words. Wait for it. Epilogue to come. If anyone's still around to read it. **_

_**I don't own The Vampire Diaries. **_


	11. The End No, really It's overfinished

_**Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries. **_

I was sure I was dreaming.

I felt warm, and safe, and loved. I was in a comfortable bed, with Damon's arms around me. His hands were running through my hair, just as he was fond of doing.

I was loathe to open my eyes and shatter the illusion, even as I could feel the sunlight pouring in, warming my skiing further.

I yawned, and stretched, and felt Dream Damon move with me. My eyes fluttered open, and they met Damon's.

I grinned, pulling myself closer to him, moving my hands to his neck to get him close enough to kiss.

He obliged, grinning back at me.

It had been a year since we both left Mystic Falls far behind in the dust. Things had changed in my absence.

It hadn't taken very long at all for Damon to tell me he was now human. However, that didn't stop him from trying to protect me

from the world. If anyone even looked at me funny, Damon was there, looking as fierce as ever. Even if he had been defanged,

he had no trouble holding his own in a fight, and doing more damage than one would think possible.

We had stayed up late many nights, talking through this and that, and in general resolving most of our old issues, and

healing old scars. He was still as passionate, and forceful, as ever. Nothing had truly changed, only now we had a actual

future.

Pulling apart, I gave him my biggest, most delighted grin, before stating, "I was certain I was dreaming."

His grin turned cocky at that. "Well, I /am/ every woman's dream." I grabbed my pillow and hit him over the head for that,

more playful and light than serious. "It better just be dreams, Mister," I declared, mock sternly, "Or they'll have me to answer to."

Damon pulled me close at that, and didn't let go for a long time.

Finally, he said, "I want to get married."

I froze for a long moment, before saying , "Good luck with that."

His face was mock-hurt as he whined slightly, "You don't want to marry me!"

I laughed a bit at his expression. "I never said that. You said you wanted to get married. You never asked me if I wanted to

help you achieve that goal."

Damon raised his eyebrows at me, facing me seriously. "Oh, Dearest, Delightful, Most Beloved Ally," He began. "Could you possibly,

in any way whatsoever, maybe consider, joining me in marriage?"

I pretended to think about it, while he pretended to agonize over my response.

After a pause, Damon question, "Well? Don't leave me hanging here."

I laughed at his impatience. "Not today," I decided. "I have things I need to do today. Try again tomorrow."

We laughed, and held each other close, both knowing my real answer.

_**THis is the end. Four hundred and seventy five (475) words. It's been a long journey, but Damon and Ally finally have their ending. Goodbye story limbo. **_

_**FAQ: **_

**_1. Are you writing a sequel/ rewriting the story in Damon's POV?_**

**_No. Or at least, not right now. Two main reasons why. One, I don't think there's any interest in a sequel anymore. Two, Damon's version would be significantly longer and more bloody, gaining an "M" rating at the very least. _**

**_If you have any questions to add review or PM me, and I will add the answers and questions here._**

**_Give me a head's up if you're still reading this after the long hiatus. I just might have to bake you cookies. _**

**_Have fun, and keep reading stories, hopefully of author's who update more consistantly._**

**_Over and out,_**

**_Dustfinger's Cheering Section_**

**_Tricia_**


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